The late Gothic Reformed church

As is common in the case of our medieval lordly estate centers, here too the Nyírbátor residential palace and the adjacent lordly church were built on a single concept and formed an architectural unity. The main chapel, once dedicated to Saint George, is today a Reformed church, an outstanding example of Hungarian late Gothic and early Renaissance architecture. It is no wonder, then, that when in 1681 György Was came to Bátor accompanied by the Transylvanian prince Mihály Apafi, he wrote this in his diary: "I was with our lord His Majesty in the Bátor church, I have never seen a more beautiful church in my life, and I do not believe that there could be another one on a large piece of land." The church was built by István Báthori, the Transylvanian voivode and national treasurer, who also played a significant role in the construction of the city castle and the Minorite church. The exact date of the start of construction is not known, but it is a fact that in 1484 Geréb László The Bishop of Transylvania grants the city's tithes to the voivode and the church of St. George. This probably also means the laying of the foundation stone of the building. The year 1494 inscribed on the base of the sanctuary indicates the continuity of the work. István Báthori could not see the building completed, as he died in 1493 and the final completion was left to his son András Báthori, whose date is 1511.