The sacred character of the Old Church will also be restored, since after the renovation the monks from Premontre will also return to the monastery.
The open design tender procedure called by the municipality of Zsámbék, entitled "Renovation of the Old Church of Zsámbék and its surroundings", has been successfully concluded - wrote Regő Lánszki, national chief architect and state secretary for architecture, in his Facebook post. Based on the design of the winner Közti Zrt., one of the most iconic examples of medieval Hungarian church architecture in the most beautiful surroundings will be on display in its original beauty.
The Old Church and Premontre Monastery were built around 1220. What makes it unique is that it is one of the most beautiful, at least partially preserved, monuments of Central European classical Gothic.
The three-nave basilica was severely damaged in the 1753 earthquake. István Möller, one of the most significant figures in the preservation of Hungarian monuments, started the restoration in 1889. Although he did a great job, he failed to rebuild the church despite his plans.
Due to almost 300 years of destruction and the overall ineffective interventions of the past decades, the irreplaceable monument is in danger of collapse. Therefore, the Zsámbék Municipality, with the support of the Ministry of Construction and Transport (ÉKM), launched an open design competition, which received 17 entries.
The winning tender of Közti Zrt. reconstructs the church with a brick addition, with which it subtly indicates where the addition took place in accordance with modern monument considerations.
ÉKM is committed to strengthening the protection of monuments, therefore the area has been given an independent deputy state secretariat, and at the end of the year it will continue to strengthen its personnel, in addition, a concept of monument support and utilization has been completed that ensures its survival in the long term.
In the spirit of this, one of the most beautiful medieval churches in Hungary will be rebuilt, so those interested will be able to visit a medieval sanctuary close to Budapest.
Similar to the churches in Ják, Lébény and Ócsán, which were previously also restored in their original form, visitors can also get an idea of medieval Hungarian architecture based on the Old Church. The sacral nature of the church will also be restored, since after the renovation, the monks from Premontre will also return to the monastery.
Cover photo: The Old Church in Zsámbék
Source: vg.hu/Zoltán József Varga
