Catholic Parish Church (Balatonlelle)

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Catholic parish church from 1943

The Catholic parish church of Balatonlelle is dedicated to the Holy Trinity (Sanctissima Trinitas) and was built in 1943. The parish of Balatonlelle is located in the Hungarian Somogy county . In terms of canon law, it now belongs to the Kaposvár diocese . The church has been a listed building since March 2009 .

history

St. Clement's Basilica

The oldest church in Balatonlelle was mentioned in a foundation letter in 1055. He was referring to the founding of the Abbey in Tihany and was built by King I. Andreas enacted. It mentions a basilica of St. Clement , which was located at the crossroads of two important roads, the "Island Way" (Hungarian "Sziget Szád") and the "Great Way" (Hungarian "Nagy út").

There are no documents about this basilica, but what is certain is that it was built on the same site as the present church. It is quite possible that it was built before the Magyar conquest , around the year 865, when the Slav apostles Cyril and Method came with the bones of the saint to later venerate Pope Hadrian II as relics . The Basilica of St. Clement was mentioned several times in later documents, most recently in 1466. Nothing is known about the appearance of the basilica, and nothing is known about the architectural style and size. It was probably destroyed by the Muslims during the period when this area was occupied by the Turks (from 1526 to 1586).

Second church

The second parish church in 1910 (was demolished in 1943 and replaced by a new building).

After the Turks were expelled from the Kingdom of Hungary, there was hardly any life in Lelle or the surrounding villages. The villages were largely depopulated. That is why the reconstruction was very hesitant, including the building of new churches. From 1720 Lelle (often referred to as Lölle) was canonically added to the neighboring parish of Látrány . The modest church built at the beginning was made of clay, but the church was in such poor structural condition that it was unusable. As a result, the then patron saint of the area, Baron György Majthényi, decided to build a church at his own expense with the help of the villagers from Lelle. The church was built on the ruins of the former St. Clement's Basilica. The presbytery of the old basilica was included in the construction, the attached tower was made of wood. Majthenyi also donated the interior fittings (altar, choir, pulpit) from his private fortune, which were also made of wood. A small organ with 5 registers was also installed.

The church was consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity and was (presumably) carried out by the then pastor of Látrány Imre Gomba, who later also said Holy Mass here once a month.

In 1748 the patron saint donated three bells ( Holy Trinity , 96 kg, Virgin Mary , 73 kg and St. Donatus , 33½ kg). The bells were consecrated in Marcali on October 11, 1748 by the then bishop of Veszprim, Márton Bíró of Padány.

As reported in a later canonical visitation , the widow of the patron saint Julianna Sztrányai had the church thoroughly renovated and rebuilt in 1756 with the help of the villagers. The wooden tower was demolished and replaced by a stone structure. At that time, holy masses were already taking place on two Sundays a month, but they were still celebrated by the pastor of Látrány József Nagy.

In the following years there were repeated renovations at the church. By the middle of the 19th century, the church turned out to be too small. Therefore in 1864 a fundraising campaign was called for a new church building. However, since these plans could not be implemented, it was decided in 1884 to thoroughly renovate and partially expand the church.

In 1921, after difficult and long-term negotiations, the parish of Lelle succeeded in breaking away from Látrány and forming an independent parish . József Horváth was appointed as the first parish priest. He got to work with great ambition. As early as 1924, a new rectory was built next to the church on his initiative. His greatest merit was that he tirelessly drove a new church.

Monument to László Cardinal Lékai in the parish garden of the Catholic parish church of Balatonlelle. Lékai was parish priest in Balatonlelle between 1949 and 1959.

Third Church

In the 1940s, the old church proved to be too small due to the rapid growth of tourism on Lake Balaton . The recommendation of the parish priest József Horváth was followed and in 1943 it was decided to demolish the old building and build a new church.

In an open letter, Dechant Horváth wrote about the new church:

"I would like to build such a church in Balatonlelle for the coming centuries, which will also announce in the future that this church was built in the most difficult times with a willingness to make sacrifices, and which will always serve as a consolation and edification for the village of Lelle to honor and future visitors."

The Budapest architect Bertalan Árkay , a representative of the “Roman School”, was commissioned with the planning . He did not charge a fee for the planning.

On September 19, 1943, the foundation stone was laid for the new church.

The church, which was also consecrated to the Holy Trinity, is a bright, friendly building. Its dimensions are: 35 m length, 17 m width, 9 m height. However, the 28 m high tower was not completed until 1972. There is a crypt under the church , which has been used as an urn cemetery since 2009 .

On May 20, 1944, construction work had to be stopped due to the effects of the war and a lack of material. The work could only be continued in June 1946.

The finished parts of the church were consecrated in stages: the pulpit in 1949, the main altar on June 10, 1951. The interior plastering of the church was finished at Christmas 1955. In 1969 the external plastering work was completed. In 1972 the church tower was completed.

József Horváth (* 1888, † 1961), dean of Balatonlelle and initiator of the third church building.

The church also has a rich interior. The pulpit, which shows Jesus as the good shepherd and the four evangelists with their attributes , is the work of the artist Lili Sztehló.

The monumental altar mosaic of the Assumption behind the main altar is the work of the Hungarian painter Miklos Somsos. In the upper area of ​​the mosaic the Holy Trinity is depicted with the Mother of God. Pope Clement (the namesake of the first church) can be seen below. It is flanked by the figures of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

In 1985 the church received a new organ, which was consecrated on Pentecost (May 26th). It was built by the organ builder Friedrich Paulus according to plans by the organ artist Ferenc Gergely (* 1914, † 1998) . The organ has 29 registers and three manuals .

In the church there are over 70 stained glass windows related to the history of Hungary. They are works by the Hungarian painters Lili Sztehló, János Pleidell and Lajos Bajcsy. The windows were consecrated in 1985 by the Archbishop of Munich, Friedrich Cardinal Wetter .

In 1992 the church received a third new bell weighing 125 kg, bearing the name of St. Clement.

On August 9, 1998, the church was consecrated by the Apostolic Nuncio Karl-Josef Rauber . The twelve wooden crosses on the pillars remind of this.

Baroque St. Donatus chapel on the Kleiner Berg (ung. Kishegy) near Balatonlelle

The church has been a listed building since 2009.

The St. Donatus Chapel on the Little Mountain (ung.Kishegy)

The Small Mountain is a 300 m high hill south of the village of Balatonlelle. It offers a wonderful view of Lake Balaton. There have been vineyards on this mountain since ancient times. Since in Hungary St. Donatus was regarded as the patron saint of winemakers and wine, there is a centuries-old custom of building appropriate chapels in the middle of vineyards, which were usually consecrated to this patron saint.

The exact construction time of the baroque Donatus Chapel on the Kleiner Berg is not known. However, from a canonical visitation (1815) it is known that the chapel must have been built before 1784, since a bell was consecrated for the chapel on October 11, 1784 (together with the consecration of the bells of the parish church in Lelle). In 1815 the area and thus also the chapel belonged to Count Franz Széchenyi , who also took care of the preservation and furnishing of the chapel (the Széchényi coat of arms can still be seen on the altar table today).

Today the chapel belongs to the parish of Balatonlelle. Once a year, on Thursday (August 7th), Holy Mass is celebrated in the chapel.

Stained glass window in the parish church of Balatonlelle (selection)

literature

  • József Horváth: Balatonlelle története, Egyházmegyei Könyvnyomda, Veszprém 1943 (Hungarian)
  • Norbert Németh: A Balatonlellei plébánia története, Balatonlelle 2010, ISBN 978-963-06-9279-3 (Hungarian)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ According to the legend of the life of Constantine , the two apostles found the bones of St. Clement in Kherson on the Black Sea , hid them and took them with them on their journey.
  2. ↑ Somogy County was liberated from the Turks on September 2, 1686.
  3. ↑ a b in Horváth, p. 31 (see literature)
  4. ↑ According to the report of a canonical visitation (Visitatio Canonica) from 1749
  5. ↑ Márton Biró von Padány (born April 15, 1693 in Padány , † August 16, 1762 in Veszprim) was a confidante of Maria Theresa and from March 18, 1745 Bishop of Veszprim and at the same time hereditary chief appointee of Weszprim County .
  6. ↑ Canonical Visitation (Visitatio Canonica) in 1778
  7. ↑ The church of Lelle was a branch of the Catholic parish of Látrány. This situation lasted until 1921.
  8. ↑ József Horváth (* 1888, † 1961 in Piliscsaba) was born in 1921 by the then Bishop of Weszprim Dr. Nándor Rott (* 1868, † 1939) called to Balatonlelle as parish priest. He dedicated himself to this task with enthusiasm. He also researched the past of the parish of Lelle, and in 1943 his book on the history of the village was published. (see literature). The reconstruction of the parish church in Lelle was also on his initiative. In 1948 his health deteriorated and he asked to be released from active duty. He retired to Pilis csaba, where he also died in 1961. However, his wish was to be buried in Balatonlelle, which was impossible in Hungary at the time of the communist dictatorship . It was only 50 years later, in 2011, that his remains were transferred from Piliscsaba to Balatonlelle and reburied in the crypt of “his” church. (quoted from Lellei újság, Volume XX, July 2011, p. 7; Hungarian)
  9. ↑ "Lellének a jövő századokra olyan szép Istenházát emeljek, amely a jövő kor előtt is hirdetni fogja az áldozatkészséget, s azt, hogy a legnehezebb időkben épül az lázlánek lázlánek lázlánek lázlánázlánez lázlánáz lázlánázlázlázlánáz lázlánáz lázlánázlání ažlátíté sázlánís
  10. ↑ Bertalan Árkay (born April 11, 1901 in Budapest, † November 23, 1971 ibid.) Was a Hungarian architect and painter. Between 1927 and 1961 he was the creator of numerous important sacred buildings in Hungary. He is considered one of the most important architects of Hungarian modernism .
  11. ↑ Lili Sztehló (born November 7, 1897 in Budapest, † October 28, 1959 ibid.) Was a Hungarian glass painter and designer who was mainly known for her stained glass window paintings in parish churches and cathedrals. She was the wife of the architect Bertalan Árkay.
  12. ↑ Miklós Somsos (born January 17, 1933 in Miskolc , † December 27, 2009 in Budakeszi ) was a Hungarian painter and designer.
  13. ^ The organ building workshop based in Budaörs was founded in 1977 by Friedrich Paulus the Elder. Ä. ( ung. Paulus Frigyes) founded. Paulus, who received his training as an organ builder in Hamburg , is one of the most important companies of its kind in Hungary today.
  14. ↑ János Pleidell (born October 11, 1915 in Hontfüzesgyarmat , Austria-Hungary , † April 11, 2007 in Dunaújváros ) was a Hungarian painter and graphic artist.
  15. ↑ Lajos Bajcsy (born August 5, 1940 in Káptalanfüred, today part of Balatonalmádi ) is a Hungarian painter and graphic artist.
  16. ↑ Cardinal Wetter donated US $ 9,000 for the creation of further glass windows from the history of Hungary. The necessary colored discs - which came from Munich - were donated by Cardinal Wetter. (quoted in Németh, p. 30, see literature)
  17. ↑ Two of the old three bells were confiscated on June 5, 1944 for war purposes. One of them was the "cis bell" donated by Baroness Majthényi in 1748, as well as the 131 kg bell that was cast in 1927 and bore the name of the Mother of God . (quoted from Németh, p. 21)
  18. ↑ László Báthory the Blessed (* ~ 1420, † 1456) was a Pauline monk and Hungarian Bible translator.