“The church in Százhalombatta was inspired by the location. The site is a square covered with precast concrete slabs. The church is designed to lift this covering into the air. From the depths, huge oak trees push up the floor covering. Above the apse is a winged tower. Thus a clear and pure spirituality emerges from the ground, and this is what the church itself is trying to represent metaphorically. This is further emphasised by the hundred mounds that are in this area. Batta is an ancient settlement, Hungarian in the deepest sense, while it is also the scene of pre-Hungarian stories. It was used as much by the Celtics and Romans as by the Pannonians who lived here both with them and before them, i.e. all those peoples who can be traced back to the Scythian empire. It is a very old area, subsequently invaded by the 20th century world and all that came with it: the oil refinery, the housing estates and Zhdanov-style cultural policy.”

Imre Makovecz drew two design versions for the church building. The building permit plan of the first version and the development plan for the surroundings were prepared for an invitational tender. Finally, the church was built along a completely new concept in 1995. It underwent refurbishment in 2019.

The actually built structure comprises three mounds recalling the ancient settlements that used to exist where Százhalombatta is today. One mound accommodates the congregation room, the second hosts the vicarage and the parish while the third one comprises the church cupola. The latter is squeezed in between two walls that show the direction of the ancient road to Rome.

Drawings

Designs

Photos