Alsószecse Reformed Church
Building, structure
The village, located on the right bank of the Garam River, formed a unit with the Felsőszecse branch until the last decade of the 20th century. The initial conflicts were settled by the resolution of 1688, according to which the first service on the first day of a holiday “in secula seculorum” should be held in Felsőszecse (then Kis-Szecse). During the Counter-Reformation, the Nagyodi Congregation also belonged to this branch between 1733 and 1793. The registration of its pastors has been continuous since 1655. Its church was built in 1784. (Before that, the faithful gathered in barns for worship.) In 1802, the modern congregation had a clock installed in the tower, which is still functional even with night lighting after detailed repairs in the 1990s. A denominational school operated continuously in the parish until 1945. This date marked the sudden and complete decline of the parish. (After the war, the Hungarians who had previously constituted the vast majority of the village were resettled to Hungary, and Slovaks arrived there to replace them, which radically changed the linguistic character of the village.) After that, there was no pastor living locally – temporarily serving from Nagyod, then from Léva – the current pastor from Léva, and then after his expulsion following the establishment of the Hungarian grammar school there, is now in the area. The once 700-strong congregation has now dwindled to 3 permanent members due to displacement and depletion. Having lost its mother church status at the end of the last century, the Nagyod Parish is registered as a daughter church and operates, providing spiritual support to those who come there from an average of 40 neighborhoods to hear the Word of God.