A Creed Carved in Stone: The Finest Examples of Hungarian Protestant Church Architecture

Article of Hely.hu 

What exactly will be covered?

• The first churches of the Reformation
• From prohibitions to freedom in church construction
• The golden age of Hungarian Protestant architecture
• Where tradition meets modernity

Naturally, no new churches were built during the early phase of the Reformation; congregations in villages and towns that had adopted the new creed used existing buildings. These churches, however, were remodelled according to the new liturgical regulations: the sanctuaries lost their sacred function, and pews were installed, oriented toward the center of the church where the Lord’s Table was placed.

Fearing the churches might be reclaimed, elements indicating previous Catholic use were removed, which in most cases meant demolishing the sacristies (a move that often led also to the deterioration of the vaulted ceilings, since the sacristy frequently served as the wall’s structural support). Wall paintings depicting saints and biblical scenes were whitewashed over, and in their place, non-figurative patterns interspersed with plant motifs were often applied. In Transylvania, the Upper Tisza region, and other parts of historic Hungary that were not destroyed by the Turks, we can find hundreds of such medieval churches.

One of the most beautiful of these is the church in Csaroda, located in the Vásárosnamény district. After the medieval church was remodelled, the walls were whitewashed and then adorned with magnificent floral paintings – according to the large painted date, in 1649. The church was furnished with beautiful peasant Baroque decor, and the pulpit’s soundboard is a true masterpiece.

thus bringing saints back into the Reformed church. All in all, the church presents the centuries of Hungarian history like a multi-layered flipbook.

Photo: Architextura

During the Counter-Reformation, especially after the Turkish occupation, state authorities severely restricted the construction of churches by Protestants (and, in addition, by the Jewish community). Even if congregations received permission,

furthermore, for a long time, the use of durable building materials and the floor area were also restricted. In the urbanized towns of Transdanubia and Upper Hungary, however, there were already (and despite the Counter-Reformation) large Reformed and Evangelical congregations, therefore they erected massive structures in their rear courtyards – the so-called Insula Lutherana, or “Lutheran islands.” Examples of this type include the Lutheran churches in Győr, Bratislava, and Kőszeg, as well as the Old Reformed Church in Pápa.

The contradiction between the small floor area and the large congregation was resolved in every case by the use of galleries, which later became a characteristic feature of these Protestant churches.

During this period, restrictions on the use of building materials meant that construction could only be done in wood. Starting in 1681, the practice of the Protestant faith was permitted in only one location per county. These were the so-called “articular” sites (listed in a separate “articulus,” or appendix to the law), and the buildings there were known as “articular churches.”

In Késmárk, Upper Hungary (today’s Kežmarok in Slovakia), the articular church could only be built outside the city walls of the time, without the use of stone or brick. The church clearly reflects the strong Dutch influence characteristic of Hungarian Protestantism. The building is essentially a wooden replica of the Noorderkerk in Amsterdam. According to tradition, the church was built by Swedish shipwrights who had settled in the region. Thus, despite the restrictions and prohibitions (or perhaps precisely because of them?), the most beautiful and largest wooden building in historic Hungary came into being.

Photo: Wikimedia

In Transylvania, which lay farther from Vienna and was governed autonomously at the time, the situation was different in many respects. The Counter-Reformation achieved great success here, as well (one need only think of the enduring tradition at Csíksomlyó or the activities of the Jesuits in Cluj), but the majority of the population remained Protestant, and moreover, most of the noble families did not reconvert to Catholicism. Here, too, the Edict of Tolerance – mentioned later – brought complete freedom in the construction of churches; at that time, however – largely with the support of noble families – large-scale and magnificent Reformed churches were also built, mainly at the centres of individual estates.

Its elegant exterior conceals an interior space that is almost as dynamic as that of a Rococo theatre. The legend that the building is the work of Italian masters employed in the nearby princely capital is likely true (Gyulafehérvár remained the provincial capital even during the Habsburg era). A similar church can be found in Marosvécs (Brâncovenești), where an astonishingly elegant and refined Reformed church was built with the support of the village’s landowners, the Counts of Kemény. The contrast here is even greater, as the building is relatively simple from the outside, but upon entering the sanctuary, one is almost rooted to the spot: the gallery seems as if it had been transported from the most beautiful Italian Baroque palazzos to the foot of the snow-capped mountains.

Photo: Facebook

Photo: Wikipedia

When Joseph II issued his Edict of Tolerance on October 25, 1781 – which significantly relaxed restrictions on religious practice – the country was truly thrown into turmoil.

The Reformed Christians of Szentgyörgyvölgy, living in the predominantly Catholic county of Zala, had been petitioning for permission to build a church for decades, but to no avail. According to tradition, after the decree was issued, they were in such a hurry to begin construction that they even cut and shaped the logs for the beams while they were still on the wagon, for fear that the decree might be revoked before the church was completed. As is well known, the decree was not revoked; on the contrary, further relaxations followed: from 1786 onward, it was permitted to build a tower and install a bell in it, and two years later, to open an entrance from the street (the decree also applied to the Greek Orthodox and Jewish communities).

Massive construction projects began throughout the empire, and a distinct type of building emerged: German-language literature refers to it as the “Toleranzkirche,” or “church of tolerance” (the Edict of Tolerance is known in German as the “Toleranzpatent”); unfortunately, no Hungarian name has taken hold. Perhaps “Türelmi-templom” would be appropriate, though it sounds rather odd. In any case, a portrait of the emperor who issued the decree appears in a number of churches as a token of gratitude.

Photo: regmult.blogspot.com

At the end of the 18th century, Hungarian Protestant architecture truly flourished. Congregations found their own architectural means of expression; one after another, towers soared and masterfully designed gallery systems rose. Galleries became widespread not only due to limited space but also because, according to Old Testament references, the Temple in Jerusalem was built in a similar manner. The Lutherans preferred Baroque forms, while the Calvinists increasingly adopted a Classicist approach.

Photo: Commune of Kisújszállás

During the country’s resettlement, a significant German-speaking population arrived. Most of them were Catholic; however, in certain regions, individual landowners settled Lutherans, since there was a great deal of uncultivated land, therefore it didn’t matter who arrived, as long as they were willing workers. This is how the Lutheran German regions of Tolna County came into being, filled with beautiful Baroque churches.

In Protestant church architecture, as in intellectual life, Debrecen served as one of the main models. The city’s main church was built over a long period of time and involved many compromises. To cut costs, architect Mihály Péchy’s ambitious visions were constantly scaled back (he had even designed a giant circular church!), and he had to take into account the foundation walls of the medieval church. The result was an elongated church with a pair of towers positioned in front of the longitudinal axis. However, this compromise became a tradition and a model, as the Reformed congregations in Oradea and Cluj-Napoca also built similar churches, even though they were not subject to the same constraints.

Photo: Tibor Illyés

Although the Reformation brought many innovations to the liturgy, the floor plans of the churches did not fully reflect these changes. Even churches built after the Edict of Tolerance followed the traditional, Catholic-style layout, with the only changes being that the pulpit and the Lord’s Table were placed not at one end of the space but in the center, and the pews were arranged radiating out from there.

Architects had already experimented with various solutions during the Baroque period; Mihály Péchy, for example, designed a massive circular church for Debrecen, but the clients insisted on a more traditional design. Samu Pecz, a leading figure of Hungarian Historicism and a member of the Reformed Church, also experimented in practice with a new type of church. In the church on Dezső Szilágyi Square in Budapest, the Lord’s Table and the pulpit stand at the center, from which the gallery-like expansions radiate outward. This interesting and innovative layout is clearly visible in the building’s floor plan.

Photo: Wikipedia

The Hungarian national architectural movements that emerged at the end of the 19th century were closely intertwined with Protestant church architecture, as the Reformed Church, in particular, had always been one of the main pillars of Hungarian national consciousness. Aladár Árkay’s church on Fasor Street is a fine example of this endeavour. The main entrance of the recently renovated building features stylized folk-art motifs with an exceptionally unique design. The interior follows the tradition of churches with galleries.

Photo: architextura.hu

Károly Kós played a defining role in the development of Hungarian national architecture, a role that remains influential to this day. The “Rooster” Church in Cluj-Napoca, completed in 1914, demonstrates how Kós blended folk elements with modern, functionalist aspirations – and even with the medieval architectural forms that were dominant in Transylvania.

Photo: Wikimedia

At the turn of the century, not only the two largest denominations – the Reformed and the Evangelical – but also the smaller ones began undertaking major construction projects. A distinct architectural language had not yet emerged, so there was ample room for experimentation. In Oradea, for example, the Baptists built an Art Nouveau house of worship in which Mesopotamian and Near Eastern motifs can also be discerned.

Photo by the author

Gyula Sándy was a defining figure in Hungarian Protestant church architecture. Between the two world wars, he designed more than a dozen Lutheran churches across the country, combining traditional elements with Art Nouveau and even Art Deco styles. These characteristics can also be seen in his masterpiece, the Post Office Palace on Széll Kálmán Square.

Photo:Wikimedia

In many places, it was not folk forms but Classicism that represented the tradition to which twentieth-century builders sought to return. In Debrecen and on Pozsonyi Road in Budapest, they evoked the churches built after the Toleration Edict. In Debrecen, Chief Architect József Borsos designed the university church, which served as a book depository during the socialist era. Its religious function was restored in recent decades.

Photo: Facebook, Open churches weekend

Contemporary Protestant church architecture is in the fortunate position that today’s architectural trends – minimalism and the pursuit of simplicity – fit well with centuries-old traditions. For this reason, many well-designed,

The Lutheran church in Szentendre, designed by József Kocsis, stands on the edge of the city center, on the banks of the Bükkös Stream. Strictly speaking, it is no longer a contemporary building, as it was completed in 2003; yet, with its elegant tower and natural stone cladding, it still feels innovative and, at the same time, somewhat timeless.

The Reformed church in Csömör also successfully blends Reformed architectural traditions with modernity. The tall, spired tower set at the corner and the building stretching behind it clearly evoke the churches of medieval Transylvania and the Upper Tisza region. Designed by Zoltán Berzsák and Péter Nyikos, the complex – which also includes a parish hall and a parsonage – was dedicated in 2018. The church is truly a worthy continuation of the Protestant church-building tradition, which now spans more than half a millennium.

András Szende

Architecture is the art form that perhaps has the greatest influence on our thinking and well-being. The goal of Hely.hu is to stimulate architectural discourse through news, engaging articles, and videos. Because architecture is a shared concern and a shared responsibility.