The northeastern region of Hungary has many late Roman-style village churches. One of the finest examples would be the Csaroda Reformed Church in the Bereg Plain, built in the late 13th century. This quaint little holy place can be found in the county of Szabolcs‑Szatmár‑Bereg on a small hill, on a bend of the Csaronda creek.
The tower never had a bell; instead, a wooden belfry was carved next to it in the 18th century. In summer and autumn, the picturesque landscape is more than enough to impress visitors, but the inside of the always-open church gives a truly exceptional impression. It consists of two sections: the rectangular nave and the square-shaped sanctuary. There’s a reason the building is called The Church of Smiling Saints: certain parts of it are decorated with frescoes depicting the Apostles, created in the late 1300s. The building also stands as a testament to the colours and forms of later eras: for example, the slope of the eastern window contains a number of frescoes from King Sigismund’s reign, while other sections still display floral motifs painted in the mid-16th century after the church was consecrated as a Reformed Church. The building’s painted wooden ceiling is from 1777 and the folk Baroque-style wooden pulpit, the galleries and the benches are also from around that period.
References:Stobi was an ancient town of Paeonia located near Gradsko. It is considered by many to be the most famous archaeological site in North Macedonia. Stobi was built where the Erigon (Crna River) joins the Axios (Vardar), making it strategically important as a center for both trade and warfare.
Stobi developed from a Paeonian settlement established in the Archaic period. It is believed that in 217 BCE, Philip V annexed Paionia during his campaign against the Dardani who had entered Bylazora, the largest Paeonian town.
The city was first mentioned in writing by the historian Livy, in connection with a victory of Philip V of Macedon over the Dardani in 197 BC. In 168 BC, the Romans defeated Perseus and Macedonia was divided into four nominally independent republics. In 148 BC, the four areas of Macedonia were brought together in a unified Roman province. In the reign of Augustus the city grew in size and population.