Crăciunel

Address:

Crăciunel

GPS:

46° 10' 37.7364" N 25° 25' 51.4848" E

Crăciunel (in Hungarian Karácsonyfalva - "Christmas village", see Old Slavic Kraczun, German Krötschendorf) is a village belonging to the Ocland commune. Its name comes from the name of the owner, who was born on Christmas Day.

 The first mention of the village dates from 1334 ("Karasun"). A still used Arian church stands on a high hill surrounded by walls. In the Middle Ages it was a Catholic church and it still boasts a preserved Romanesque choir and valuable paintings, containing the archaic shamanistic legend of St. Ladislaus, King of Hungary, who lived in the 12^th century. The scenes show the kidnapping of a legendary Hungarian girl by the pagan Cumans, the fight between Ladislaus and the kidnapper (in the end only the girl can help the king to kill him) and the king resting together with the girl, which can be regarded as a love scene. In 1495-1496 the temple was expanded, and its tower dates from this period. A coffered ceiling was created in the first half of the 18^th century, more or less during a bloody battle between Catholics and Arians for the possession of the temple. Finally, in 1783 the Catholics built their own church. The Greek Catholic church was built in 1880, but was sparsely attended. In 1910 the village was inhabited by 1006 Hungarians. In 1992 there were only 526 inhabitants, all Hungarians with the exception of two Romanian policemen. On the southern border of the village, at the foot of the Dongó Hill there is a salt source. In the early 20^th century, a resort was built here, but in the 1930s it fell into disrepair. In 1954 the resort was renewed, but then again destroyed. In cooperation with the Hungarian organisations, a local asset cooperative in 2006 began renovation works on the site. The resort already operates but renovation works continue.