St Sebastian’s Church (Garta)

The first church in the Garta district of the town was built in 1710 from wood in honour of the martyrs St Fabian and St Sebastian. There was a bell tower with two small bells next to the small stone church built in 1742. The bell tower was demolished, and a tower was erected in front of the church. The high altarpiece depicts Sebastian and Catherine, while the small altar's painting depicts Our Lady of Sorrows.
The community of Garta decided to build a new church in 1900. The plans were drawn up by Mihály Bánszky, who also supervised the construction; this was supported with a significant amount of money from Duke Miklós Eszterházy. The works were mostly carried out by craftsmen from Garta. The neo-Gothic church, consecrated in 1907 by diocesan bishop of Győr, György Széchenyi can seat 1,6000 people, has a floor area of 372 m2 and a 47-metre-high tower. The altars and the pulpit were created in Róbert Lewis's Szombathely workshop. The church, richly decorated with beautiful station of the cross pictures, statues and paintings, also boasts a stone statue of Christ created by Garta-born Lajos Lukácsi.