Photo credit; (c) cazaneledunarii.com.ro

It is the only worship place built during the communist regime and was intended for the German, Czech and Hungarian communities living in the surroundings of the Danube Gorges. The holy place, which enjoys Europe-wide fame, is dedicated to the “Immaculate Conception” and was raised under the strict supervision of architect Hans Fackelmann. Its unique look is given by the interior in the shape of a tent and the roof symbolizing a cross.

Father Mihai Sima explained for AGERPRES that despite its nonconformist appearance, the architecture of the church where he serves complies with the standards that apply to religious sanctuaries.

“Gabriel Popa’s watercolor and gouache paintings that cover the interior walls depict Calvary Road in a modern vision, with Pontius Pilate represented in the guise of Bolshevik leader Lenin, and portrayed in the crowd that witnesses the appearance of the Risen Christ are gymnast Nadia Comaneci, Beatles member John Lennon, actors Florin Piersic and Ana Szeles,” said the parish priest Mihai Sima.

He considers that the rather unconventional images do not affect the biblical scenes, but confer them more significance. For instance, the scene with Pilate represented with Lenin’s features far more powerfully suggests the persecution against Jesus Christ, while John Lennon embodies the joy over the Resurrection of the Lord.

“He who does not know the Holy Scripture cannot correctly interpret the Way of the Cross. This is where the innumerable disputes over the painter’s courage to portrait contemporaries arise from,” said father Sima.

He also stressed that quite often, towards the end of the twentieth century, Catholic Church painters resorted to such artifices to better illustrate the far from astronomical distance between the mortal and the divine world.

The Roman Catholic Church in Orsova where the religious service is celebrated in German, Czech, Hungarian and Romanian, is one of the most important tourist attractions in the region of the Danube Gorges. Its construction was funded by the German Caritas Association based in Freiburg.

“The paintings in the church, genuine masterpieces, attract by their discreet colors and the message they convey; tens of thousands of beauty loving faithful come here aboard the ships that call in the port of Orsova,” said father Mihai Sima.

The Church of Orsova also hosts organ recitals, as the building has an electronic organ and an old mechanical organ, both brought from as far as Germany, with the great efforts of the approximately 150 Catholic city residents. AGERPRES