The Chapel of Rebirth, Devecser, 2012

Architect: Makovecz Imre†
Text: Sulyok Miklós
Photos: Dénes György

With the blessings of Providence, it was daylight when the red sludge disaster struck Kolontár, Devecser and Somlóvásárhely in 2010 as sleeping people would have been totally unable to defend themselves against the industrial waste flooding the villages. Even so, it killed 10 people, leaving behind 150 injured ones and causing a damage worth 38 billion Hungarian forints with the result that the work of long years, houses, farms and animals fell victim to the industrial waste that flooded from the reservoirs of MAL Zrt. At an unbelievable speed the oecumenical chapel of Rebirth was built in a new area of the village, Devecser within a year representing high standards both in the spiritual and material sense. The chapel embodies a church typology characteristic of Makovecz. Space is centrally organised here, just like in most of the other churches designed by Makovecz: it actually represents the Neo-Platonic-holistic universe that is the world with a centre. This central space is of course covered by a cupola with an opeion and a skylight superstructure as its sole source of light. Through this creatures can have a view of the sky from earth where they wish to reach. The mass housing the church area is surrounded by an artificial landfill „hill”, which lends the building a fundamental dramatic quality. The natural anthracite black slate roof of the building appears fine, hard as well as ceremonial in an archaic way which is a brandmark of almost each building designed by Makovecz.

Concept: Makovecz Imre
Fellow architect: Turi Attila
Ceramic icon: Kun Éva
Floor tiles: Makovecz Anna
Tower wings and glasswork: Csertő Lajos
Client: Bakonyerdő Zrt
Main contractor: Veszprémber Zrt. és BME Szerves tábor