If we go back in time in the years 1970, we imagine an extremely unfriendly period with religions. There were times in which the churches were demolished, in no circumstances there were built new ones. But since in 1972 we had on the Clisura of Danube a great barrier nearly finished, barrier which was going to flood 13 localities, and the catholic communities from the area (and there were quite a few in that period, whether we are talking about the Germans (Swabians), Hungarians, Czechs or other nationalities) remained without a place of worship in Orșova, there was allowed the building up of this church. Another reason which contributed significantly was the sponsorship in totality of the construction of a new church by the association Caritas from Freiburg (Germany).
The architect was a German from Romania, Hans Fackelmann. The project was executed by Iprotim Timișoara, and the one who painted the Cross Path is the painter from Timișoara, Gabriel Popa. The painting is executed with aquarelle on canvas and wood.
The lighter is in the shape of a cross. The light of Christ penetrates it, and in front, at the altar, we find the tabernacle with the eternal light and the body of Christ, the one with whom the Christians communicate at the daily services.
In the Roman – Catholic Church from Orșova, the Cross Path is really special. There aren’t exactly those traditional paintings, but the modern ones. The painter transposed in them also other characters besides the traditional ones. In the 1st scene from the Cross Path, the one in yellow is Lenin. Lenin took over the Marxist theory and said the fact that “The faith is like opium for people”. He was against the faith, which is why he is painted standing with the back to the stage.
If in the first scene Christ is colored, in the following ones, he is only crayoned. Therefore it is easier to read on his face the horrors through which he had passed.
In the 12th painting we have painted Nadia Comăneci, the great Romanian gymnast. She took the 6 golden medals at the Olympiad in the moment in which there was painted the Cross Path from this church. If there is someone who still doesn’t know this, Nadia Comăneci is the only gymnast in the history who got at an Olympiad 10 on the line. The gymnast is painted at Jesus’ feet, and the scene wants to suggest the enormous talent necessary for such a performance, just like at Jesus.
In the last painting from the left side, we have Christ after the resurrection. There appears another contemporary character: John Lennon, the famous singer. He is presented like the parallel between the novelty brought to Lennon’s music and the novelty of the resurrection in the faith in Jesus Christ. Also in that scene, the last character included is exactly the priest from the church from Orșova, the one who activated many years and after his death he was replaced by the current Croatian priest. You must keep in mind also the fact that the service is performed in 4 languages: Romanian, German, Czech and Hungarian. It is a good example of the intercommunity of more nationalities in the same city.
