The Church of Saint Margaret of Sámot

On the outskirts of the city of Somorja lies the settlement of Sámot, which was once the residence of the Bratislava castle serfs and was mentioned in documents as an independent village (1238). Today it is a dormant settlement with a population of a few hundred, on the border of which stands the Árpád-era St. Margaret Church. ; The earliest surviving official documents that testify to its existence place the birth of this Romanesque-style church around 1260. This is also supported by the remains of a medieval cemetery and settlement partially uncovered by the 1978 archaeological excavation, which experts date to around the 12th-16th centuries. ; ; The prominent polyhistor of the 19th century, Arnold Ipolyi, describes the contemporary condition and appearance of the church in his work Monuments of Csallóköz. ; "The lower sanctuary has a semicircular closure and its own altar, which is completely connected to the higher nave, reminds us of the Romanesque altar, or apse. Although it is different, the Romanesque form has left almost no other more definite traces on the church, which has been repaired, renovated and partly abandoned many times, except perhaps for one or two narrow and substantial arched windows, which are closed with a semicircular arch, as this is almost a common feature of the Romanesque form. One of these arched windows, narrowing from the outside and inside towards the middle, is so narrow that it only measures 4'' in its interior. However, the sanctuary and nave are currently covered by an almost flat roof, and in the latter too, only these narrow, arched and articulated stone-carved windows with frames or inlays indicate its antiquity. An older, roughly carved stone basin, currently a holy water tank, may once have been the church's baptistery. The insignificant A memorial plaque applied to the facade of a newer, approximately last century altar bears the following monogram inscription: Honori S. Margatir. Eterb. S. r. n. s. R. Rs. ss.” ; According to his description, the small chapel had already begun to decline at this time, but once a year – on the occasion of the church’s farewell – for devotional purposes, a mass was also celebrated within the walls of the building. However, the 20th century and its turbulent, stormy decades mercilessly struck the chapel: its furnishings were scattered, and its already poor sacral functions ceased entirely: between 1950 and 1980 it was used for grain storage. From the decades after the change of regime to the present day – despite the initially enthusiastic ideas and initiatives, its spaces have been empty. ; The interior itself is similar to the structure and spaces of other Árpád-era chapels found in Csallóköz: “The sanctuary with a semicircular ground plan, connected to the flat-ceilinged nave by a semicircular triumphal arch, with a barrel vault and a quarter-dome dome at the end, is a ground plan type typical of this era. The sanctuary is joined to the north by a sacristy – also covered with a barrel vault. The partially transformed, but semicircular-closed windows of the church also preserve the medieval atmosphere. Above the western gable wall, a small, wooden bell tower – perhaps constructed in the 19th century – rises from the roof”. ; However, it is unique in its largely untouched spaces: neither the sanctuary nor the sacristy have been transformed over time, and in their original state they convey the architectural legacy of the Middle Ages. The plaster has been removed from the walls, leaving only traces of the fragmentary medieval painting, preserved by the lime layer. However, the images of the consecration crosses are clearly visible, and traces of blue painting can be discovered on the arches of the barrel vault above the sanctuary. ; The roof structure has collapsed, which is accelerating the destruction. There are scratches and holes in the walls in many places. ; ; The church is now once again owned by the parish of Somorja, but despite various efforts that have failed in turn (furnishing an exhibition space, creating a community center, and rededicating the chapel), decay still reigns in it.