Belongingness Calvinist Church, Pesterzsébet

Architects: Imre Makovecz, Tamás Dósa Papp
Text: Zoltán Dragon
Photos: Tamás Dósa Papp

The sketches of the new church in Pesterzsébet were made by Imre Makovecz, who died ten years ago, whilst designs were elaborated by his pupil, Dósa Papp Tamás. Tradition and reinterpretation, church and communal space: these keywords may characterize the completed building. The single-nave longitudinal church graced with a spire above the entrance has a U shaped choir accessible from the foyer. The building is made up of three central spaces: the church with the tower, the courtile and the two-storey parsonage with sleet roof and a separate entrance. Coherence between the various spaces is governed by the choir: it connects the inner garden in the interior and as a cornice, the parsonage on the outside. The wing surrounding the courtile houses rooms for the various aspects of religious life: the winter chapel, the kitchen, the youth zone, the restrooms. Evoking the early style of Makovecz in Sárospatak, the rich cornice decorations and the gate installation are easily recognized as his signature, whilst that of Dósa Papp can be traced in the vanishing arches, the light reflections evoking medieval traditions, the lack of using supports and the reliance on basic forms.

Client: Pesterzsébet Szabó-telep Lutheran Church
First sketches: Imre Makovecz
Leading architect: Tamás Dósa Papp
Structure: László Pongor
Main contractor: KÉSZ Kft.
Project manager: László Lehoczki
Technical supervisor: Gábor Nagy – ABÉTA Kft.