The idea of the Five Churches Festival is built on a rarity that is unique in Europe, five churches of the five historic religions can be found on one street of Győr-Újváros. Five religions and five communities have lived next to each other on the same street for centuries knowing, respecting and helping each other. The five churches are architectural mementos and also an example, that in the centre of Europe, in Hungary, lutherans, catholics, calvinists, Serbian orthodoxes and jews have been living together in peace for centuries. Their cultural diversity, their communities’ faith make Hungary’s culture strong and colourful, interesting and important for Europe and the whole world. Five Churches Festival raises attention to the historic and social values, the strengthening and supporting of the conversations between cultures, religions, communities and individuals already existing for centuries.
The festival would like to open a gate towards universal religious culture, to present our traditional values in a relevant form. The programs are for all ages, classical and folk music concerts, religious and art history presentations, theatre performances, local history tours, exhibitions, family and congregational events together create a five day long complex experience. The aim of the festival is to show believers and non-believers through presenting each others faiths and culture a 21st century example of people living next to each other, accepting each other’s cultures. Besides reviving and familiarising traditions, the festival aims to introduce a constantly renewing, live musical repertoire in a special field where music is the traditional and relevant carrier of religious content, it nurtures and renews the repertoire, be it a concert or a church service.