Reformed church on Calvinplatz
The Reformed Church on Calvin Square ( Hungarian Kálvíntéri református templom ) in Budapest is the most important church in the HB Reformed Parish in the Hungarian capital. After the Evangelical Church AB on Deák Square , it is the second largest Protestant church in Budapest. The church is located in Franzstadt (ung. Ferencváros ), in the IX. District of the city.
history
church
In 1796, the resurrected church convention of the Hungarian Reformed Church applied for the building of its own church. In 1801 the municipality received the city's approval to build a church outside the city walls behind the (then) Kecskemeter city gate, on the site of the former Ottoman cemetery.
A prayer house with an apartment for the pastor was first built on this plot of land on what was then the “Heumarkt”, which was given to the community by the city of Pest . According to plans by Antal Balla, the builder Joseph Hofrichter built a simple one-story building between 1802 and 1804, in which the prayer house with school was set up on the ground floor and the pastor's apartment on the first floor. The church consistory also spoke out in favor of starting school operations, which should be ensured by a cantor .
In 1816, despite numerous opposition, they were able to start building a new church. On June 12, 1816, the foundation stone was laid by Archduchess Hermine , the second wife of the Palatine Joseph . The builder Vince Hild was commissioned with the planning. A house of worship was built in the classicism style, the original plan provided for two towers and the foundation was also carried out accordingly.
The inauguration took place on June 8, 1830. Numerous representatives of public life were invited to the celebration, as can be seen in the contemporary press of the time. After the official inauguration, further supplementary work followed, for example the vestibule of the main entrance with the four Corinthian columns and the two-tier galleries were planned by the church architect Joseph Hild . He also completed the architectural decoration of the interior: in 1831 he had a silencer installed over the pulpit. The puritan interior, kept in white, has a monumental effect.
The tower clock was installed in 1843. A symbol characteristic of the Reformed churches of the countries of the former Kingdom of Hungary is the star on the spire, which indicates Bethlehem and the finding of Christ.
During the winter floods of 1838, which wreaked havoc on Pest, the church was also badly damaged. The west side of the building almost completely collapsed. Reconstruction could only begin in 1847. The financing came mainly from the estate of Lady Charlotte Strachan († November 12, 1851) the English wife of Count Emanuel Zichy de Ferraris (* 1808, † 1877).
In 1859 the tower was given a hood made of copper sheet. The planning for this came from the architect Johann Buchold. Further extensive renovations were carried out in 1926. The church was badly damaged during the Second World War . This damage was repaired in 1947. The last significant restoration work took place between 1967 and 1969, during which time the church was also placed under monument protection. In 1980 the construction of the subway caused considerable damage to the structure, which, however, could also be repaired through a general renovation.
mausoleum
In 1854 a mausoleum (with a crypt ) was added to the east side of the church . Lady Charlotte Strachan belonged to the Anglican Community , but generously supported the construction of the church, so she was allowed to be buried in a mausoleum attached to the church with a special permit, as any pictorial decoration is prohibited in the Reformed Churches HB. The mausoleum was built in the neo-Gothic style by the architect Friedrich Fessel (* 1821, † 1884). The French sculptor Raymond Gayrard (* 1777, † 1858) designed the sarcophagus .
organ
The organ was built in 1830 by the Viennese organ building company Deutschmann. The original organ had 2 manuals and a pedal , a mechanical action and 23 stops .
In 1891 and 1904 it was rebuilt and enlarged by Joseph Angster (3 manuals with pneumatic action and 42 stops)
In 1955 the organ builder August Schaffer installed an electric action.
The organ builder Endre Tarnai carried out a further expansion in 1985.
In the year 2014, the organ was five Kirchener company Orgonaépitő Manufaktúra Kft. In the original sound state (German man) back to (two manuals, a pedal mechanical action, but 30 register).
Bells
Originally the church had three bells , which were inaugurated on August 29, 1830. The bells were the work of the bell founder Heinrich Eberhard. During the First World War , the two smaller bells were requisitioned and melted down for war purposes. The bell that remained in the church tower cracked in 1980 and had to be replaced by a new bell. This was made in the workshop of Miklós Combos and has a weight of 1050 kg.
space
The place in front of the church was called Heumarkt in earlier times. In 1874 it was renamed Kalvinplatz after the listed building of the Reformed Church in memory of the reformer and founder of Calvinism Johannes Calvin . A statue of John Calvin by the Hungarian sculptor Barna Búza was placed in front of the church. Today the square is one of the liveliest squares in Budapest. In the vicinity of the church are the Reformed University, the grammar school of the Reformed Church as well as the Bible Museum and a bookstore.
literature
- Zoltán Xantus: Ferencvárosi évszázadok , Helytörténeti Füzetek, Budapest 1992 (Hungarian)
- Budapest Lexicon , 2 vols., Budapest 1993, ISBN 963-05-6409-2
Individual evidence
- ↑ The church convention of the Reformed Church of the Helvetic Confession relied on the tolerance patent of Emperor Joseph II from 1781.
- ↑ Today Kalvin Square ( Hungarian Kálvin tér ) in Budapest.
- ↑ a b Zoltán Xantus: Ferencvárosi évszázadok. Helytörténeti Füzetek, Budapest 1992, pp. 14 and 22
- ↑ Princess Hermine was a native princess of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym and of the Reformed faith. She was a staunch benefactress of the Reformed Church. When she died in 1817 she was the "first resident" to be buried in the crypt of the not-yet-finished church.
- ↑ Lady Charlotte was a very beautiful woman and was therefore adored by her husband. Nevertheless, she fell in love with the world traveler and orientalist Manó Graf Andrássy (* 1821, † 1891), the older brother of the well-known politician Gyula Andrássy . She left her husband and traveled the world with Andrássy. The love ended tragically, Lady Charlotte probably committed suicide on the estate of her husband Karlburg (according to other sources she is said to have committed suicide in Lampertsdorf .) A large part of her private fortune was used for the renovation of the Reformed Church in Pest. The disappointed and betrayed husband had her buried in the crypt of the Reformed Church on Calvinplatz and erected a pompous tomb for her there. (quoted from Múlt-kor, történelmi magazin (history magazine ), spring 2013, ISSN 2061-3563)
- ^ Budapest Lexikon, Vol. 1, pp. 636f
- ↑ Therefore, her sarcophagus was not allowed to be placed directly in the church.
- ↑ The coffin with the mortal remains is in the crypt of the mausoleum below.