Szentes

Szentes () is a town in south-eastern Hungary, Csongrád county, near the Tisza river. The town is a cultural and educational center of the region. It is the third most populous town in Csongrad county after Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely. Szentes is 82,6 km away from Kerekegyháza.

== History == The area around Szentes has been inhabited since the Neolithic. The Szegvár-tűzkövesi idol, one of the Neolithic period's only depictions of a male deity, was discovered in the area. During the barbarian invasions, many ethnic groups moved through the region, and there is archeological evidence of hundreds of graves belonging to Iazyges, Sarmatians, Gepids, Huns, and Avars. According to certain accounts, the legendary camp of Atilla the Hun was found in this area, at the confluence of the Tisza and the Körös rivers. The town was first documented about the land-division in 1332 and called "Scenthus". It was said to be inhabited by descendants of the tribe of Ond, one of the seven tribes of Hungary, and it was also documented as containing a stone church dedicated to Andrew the Apostle. According to local tradition, Csongrad castle stood on the town's boundaries until the time of the first Mongol invasion.