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Csenger grew to become one of the most significant towns in the historical Szatmár County during the Middle Ages. An indication of this is the fact that from 1429, Csenger is referred to in the chronicles as a county town where county assemblies were often held in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the middle of the 13th century, Csenger became the property of the Kátas, a family that owned several neighboring lands, and by whom the church was supposedly built. It is probable that the construction work began after 1322, and was completed in the second quarter of the century. Csenger’s medieval church is the only architectural heritage of the Great Plain’s medieval monumental architecture. A unique feature is the octagon-based western tower. Originally, the St Andrew’s Church in Debrecen featured the same type of structure, but it was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century. As a result, the St Andrew’s Church, founded by the reputable Debreceni family, may have served as a model for Csenger’s church. In spite of the fact that the construction of a wooden chapel was approved according to a document in 1322, for some unknown reason, a monumental church was built.
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