The ethnographic region of Ormánság (Hungary) was part of the area of the early Reformation in South Transdanubia, which was associated with the name of Mihály Sztárai. In 1526, the Drávasztára-born priest fought as a Franciscan monk in the Battle of Mohács (1526). After the defeat, he became acquainted with the principles of the Reformation, then left the order and began to preach the doctrines of the new religion. In 1544 he began his church-organising activities in Baranya and Slavonia. Within 7 years he founded 120 Protestant congregations.

The new religion filled the void left by the Catholic Church, which had fled the Turkish-occupied territories. It promoted preaching in the national language and simpler religious practice. The Reformed religion forbids the depiction of human figures, that is why churches with coffered ceilings and parapets decorated with floral ornamentation, which are a sample of the Renaissance church painting tradition, became widespread.