» ÉPÍTS
GADÁNYI GYÖRGY MÁTÉFFY BALÁZS V ERTEL B E AT RIX
OLTÁRT AZ
» SZENTEK SÉGÉBEN «
FÉNYES-
Hitben megélt történelem
» MINT
ÉLÕ KÖVEK,
ÉPÜLJETEK LELKI HÁZZÁ «
A templom közössége és ünnepei
» ÉS
BEMEGYEK AZ
ISTEN OLTÁRÁHOZ « A templom életének szíve: a liturgia
Az ismeretlen MÁTYÁS-TEMPLOM
ÚRNAK, A TE ISTENEDNEK « A ház és építõi
ÉLÕ KÖVEK
A
Nagyboldogasszonyról nevezett
budavári Koronázó Fõtemplom, közkeletû nevén a Mátyás-templom nem pusztán turisztikai szempontból vált Magyarország egyik jelképévé. Szinte egyidõs az országgal, és sorsa szorosan összefonódott annak történetével, derûjével és borújával. Nemzeti szentélyünk számtalanszor rombolt és megújított épülete éppen ezért emelkedett szimbólummá: pontosan annyiszor épült újjá, ahányszor a magyar társadalom. Ereje és üzenete ezért nem csupán szépségében és mûvészeti értékeiben áll, hanem elsõsorban abban, hogy áll – hogy mégis áll. A kötetben életre kelnek a kiemelkedõ mûemlék kövei, és az évszázadok alatt egymás mellé került formák rendje és
ÕT ZENGÕ MUZSIKÁVAL «
A liturgia kultúrája
» OTTHONOM
LESZ
ISTEN HÁZA « A templom mindennapjai AZ
különleges perspektívái úgy bontakoznak
ÉLÕ KÖVEK
» DICSÉRJÉTEK
ki, ahogy talán még az alkotók képzeletében sem jelentek meg. De nem csak a kövek élnek e fotókon, hanem megjelennek azok is, akik élõ kövekként építik föl ezt a templomot: az az emberi közösség, amely körülötte él, amely megtartja és évszázad-
Az ismeretlen
MÁTYÁS-TEMPLOM
ok óta élettel tölti meg. A könyv az ismeretlen Mátyás-templomról szól. Célja mégsem a kimerítõ ismertetés, hiszen több, mint úti- vagy
» AKIK A MAGASSÁGBAN LAKNAK «
Pillantás fölfelé 7 000 Ft
történelemkönyv. Az alkotók személyes vallomása arról, hogy miben rejlik a budavári fõtemplom titka, varázsa, vonzása.
T
he first major reconstruction of the Church of Our Lady took place at the turn of the 14th century during the reigns of Louis the Great (1342–82), son of Charles Robert, and Sigismund (1387–1437), son-in-law to Louis. Under the sovereignty of these kings the nation, and particu-
larly Buda, experienced great prosperity, reflected in the construction, initially in a haphazard fashion, of burial chapels around the church. Transformation of the entire church in high Gothic style started with the building of the southwest Mary Portal (c. 1370) under Louis the Great. Here too French designs mixed with south German influences; this magnificent, two-span portal resembles a gate in the Church of St. Lawrence in Nürnberg built 15 years earlier. The pediment has a depiction of the Death and Assumption of Mary. Below, the Virgin is pictured kneeling with the disciples, while the upper half of the relief shows Christ descending from heaven in the company of angels to receive the soul of his mother. In this scene Mary’s soul is depicted as a baby. Originally the composition was framed by sculptures of seated Fathers of the Church representing the witnesses of the Assumption. The scene of the Assumption of Mary deliberately didn’t show an image of her rising heavenward in order to avoid confusing this event with the Ascension of Christ. (Christ ascended into heaven of his own accord, as the Son of God, while Mary was assumed, taken up into heaven for her Son’s deeds on earth, as a human, thereby revealing the glory that is God’s ultimate intent for mankind.) That said, the depiction here is unusual because Mary is not lying but kneeling, highlighting that she herself gave her soul to God. Her innocence can neither be overcome nor humiliated by death; rather it only opens the way towards perfect oneness with her Son. This relatively uncommon composition, the earliest one we know of, signals that the artist was freethinking and given a free rein. Our unknown artist, however, also omitted Mary’s coronation in heaven, an essential scene in similar works. Since this, unlike the unique compositional approach already spoken about, is not an iconographic advance but quite certainly a deliberate omission, we have good reason to suppose that a similarly monumental portal was planned for the north side, to depict the heavenly enthronement. Perhaps the portal had not even been completed when work started on a complete transformation of the basilica-style interior in high Gothic style. In 1384 the church tower collapsed during a service. Remarkably, there were no injuries leading us to suppose that due to building work the aisles were cordoned off from the chancel and in all likelihood the accident was related to the shifting of structures attached to the tower. In the course of rebuilding the low vaults of the side aisles were demolished and the outer walls raised, following which huge windows with rich tracery were let into the resulting expanse of wall space. The side aisles were elevated to the height of the nave, creating a spacious, light interior. Both side chancels were extended and given octagonal terminations in true Gothic style. The single parallel to the remodelled hall church in plan was the abbey of Garamszentbenedek, while the façade decoration resembled churches in Szászsebes (today a Lutheran church), Segesvár (Hill Church) and Brassó (Black Church). The Buda Castle church and its like reveal a unique Hungarian reshaping of stylistic elements rooted in south Germany and the establishment of an independent Hungarian architectural tradition which 30
Mary Portal relief (c. 1370)
was to have an impact in West Europe too, most noticeably in the construction of the votive church at Mariazell. Some time after 1410, during the final phase of construction, masters of the famed Parler workshop of Prague arrived in Buda. Their appearance in Hungary was prompted by the Hussite rebellion which made further work on St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague impossible. Sigismund commissioned them to work on the extension of the royal palace and completion of the Church of Our Lady. Between 1412–33 they also built, to the orders of Palatine of Hungary Miklós Gara, the Gara family chapel next to the north side chancel. Although the internal layout of the church is still to this day determined by the building work conducted during the 14th century, very little of the original dressed stone remains. In the course of major restoration in the late 19th century Frigyes Schulek maintained the building’s cross-sectional form but in order to return to the original plan view he decided – most unfortunately – to demolish the Gothic side chancels. Capitals (admittedly in poor condition) from the side aisles were also replaced with copies. Only the carved capital next to the Mary Portal depicting the portraits of Louis the Great and his wife Queen Elizabeth was left untouched. Over the course of the 15th century the royal church expanded both architecturally and as regards the scope of its privileges. In 1419 Pope Martin V, elected at the Council of Constance called by King Sigismund, granted indulgences to all those who had provided assistance in the restoration of the Church of Our Lady. At the suggestion of King Ladislas V of Habsburg, Pope Calixtus III established a collegiate church (1456) and endowed it with the Zeek abbey estates. (Collegiate churches established alongside the major churches on the lines of cathedral chapters of episcopal cathedrals also have chapters of canons, in which canons, headed by a provost, live and conduct the liturgy even though they enjoy a lower income and prestige than members of cathedral chapters.) Canon’s stalls set up in the chancel during renovation in the 19th century are a reminder of this. Although the chapter was not reinstated after the end of Turkish occupation, the title ‘Provost of the Virgin Mary of Pest New Hill’ was bestowed by the Hungarian king thenceforth, and after 1920 and to this day by the archbishop of Esztergom. The increasingly magnificent church naturally became the scene for increasingly important historical events. On Corpus Christi Day, 1424, Sigismund the King and Holy Roman Emperor received the Byzantine emperor. Following their election to the throne, Albert I in 1438, and Wladislas I in 1440 were received in the church. In 1444 following his triumphant winter campaign Wladislas led the thanksgiving ceremony in the church together with János Hunyadi. Captured banners were affixed to the walls, a tradition initiated by Sigismund. St. John of Capistrano spoke in the church to raise an army against the Turks. Hunyadi, who attended every mass on bended knee throughout, received a cross from papal legate Carvajal in the church in 1455 before departing for the defence of Belgrade. He had the following petition engraved on his sword: ‘MARIA, MATER DEI, PATRONA HUNGARIÆ, SUB TUUM PRÆSIDIUM CONFUGIO’ i.e. ‘Mary, Mother of God, Patron of Hungary, I submit to your protection’. Placing his faith in the Virgin Mary, Hunyadi won a historical victory over 31
P
AYROLL OF THE STAFF OF THE GREAT MOSQUE IN BUDA CASTLE FOR
THE YEAR 1040 (9 AUGUST 1630–28 JULY 1631): DAILY MEVLANA KHAYRULLAH, KHATIB, IMAM AND SERMAHFIL
83 AKCHES
ALI KHALFA, FIRST MUEZZIN
19 AKCHES
MOHAMED KHALFA, SECOND MUEZZIN
26 AKCHES
KHALIL KHALFA, SECOND MUEZZIN, KAJJIM AND SINGER
35 AKCHES
AHMED KHALFA, SINGING AND PRAYING MINSTREL
13 AKCHES
MOHAMED KHALFA, SIRRADSHI AND SINGER
13 AKCHES
ELHADSHI SALIH MINSTREL
5 AKCHES
MAHMUD CHELEBI MINSTREL
4 AKCHES
TOTAL: 9 MEN,
T
220 AKCHES DAILY
HIS STATUE OF THE BLESSED HOLY VIRGIN WAS ERECTED BY KING
WLADISLAW II IN MEMORY OF THE REMOVAL OF A MURDEROUS BULLET IN THE YEAR 1515. THE STATUE WAS PUT UP IN THE CHURCH BY THE YEAR 1515, AND WAS WALLED OFF FROM THE TURKS IN THE YEAR 1541. AT THE TIME OF THE RECAPTURE OF BUDA, IN THE YEAR 1686, WHEN THE POWDER MAGAZINE WAS BLASTED, THE VIOLENT VIBRATIONS CAUSED THE WALL TO COLLAPSE, TO THE TERROR OF THE TURKS AND THE JOY OF THE CHRISTIANS, RENDERING THE HOLY VIRGIN’S STATUE VISIBLE ONCE MORE. THIS STATUE, WHICH USED TO STAND UNDER THE SECOND BIG WINDOW IN THE SOUTHERN NAVE OF THE CATHEDRAL, WAS BROUGHT TO THIS PLACE IN THE YEAR 1891, AFTER THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CHAPEL. INSCRIPTION ON THE ECCLESIASTICAL STATUE IN THE LORETO CHAPEL
Statue of the Madonna in the Loreto Chapel. Tradition has it that this statue was miraculously revealed in 1686, although in all probability it is a later work
41
144
High priests and ministrant children – different instruments in the same opus.
The sermon is the word, spoken and heard.
145
THE FROG AND THE OWL
T
HERE THEY ARE, STANDING ON TWO COLUMNS IN THE CORRIDOR
OF THE CAPITULAR TREASURY. THE FROG AND THE OWL. A 14TH-CENTURY STONE CARVER PERCHED THEM ON TOP OF THE COLUMNS.
PERHAPS
HE WAS IN GOOD HUMOUR, OR PERHAPS BECAUSE HE
WANTED
TO SHARE HIS THOUGHTS WITH US. I THINK THAT, TOO, MUST HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.
AFTER ALL, WE HAVE ALL SEEN A FROG
BEFORE, SETTLED ON THE
BROAD-RIMMED LEAF OF A WATER LILY,
WITH HIS EYES POPPING OUT, EXCITEDLY BLINKING AT THE WORLD AROUND HIM. HOWEVER, VERY FEW OF US HAVE CONTEMPLATED WHAT THE FROG IS REALLY LOOKING AT.
LET US NOW STOOP DOWN TO
GET THE FROG’S PERSPECTIVE, AND
HAVE A LOOK ROUND. IN FRONT
OF US IS THE WATER SURFACE WHICH IS SHINY, INTERFERES WITH OUT VISION, AND WHAT IS MORE, IT DOUBLES THE IMAGE OF OBJECTS – BY TURNING THEM UPSIDE DOWN. UPWARDS AND DOWN YOU WILL SEE REEDS AND SEDGE, RUSH, CAT’S TAIL, REED GRASS AND DUCKWEED. AND THE FROG WILL ONLY SEE HALF OF EVERYTHING, SO LOW IS HIS ANGLE. IN A WORD, THE FROG’S WORLD IS TOPSY-TURVY.
LET US TAKE A LOOK
AT THE OWL’S PERSPECTIVE, TOO.
WHEN
YOU THINK ABOUT
IT, THE OWL TENDS TO WATCH
THE WORLD AT NIGHT, PERCHED
ON THE BRANCH OF A TREE, A HOUSETOP OR A TOWER, AND WILL ONLY SEE THE STARRY SKY ABOVE AND THE OUTLINE OF THINGS AND MOVEMENTS IN THE DARK BELOW. VERY LITTLE, THAT IS – VERY FEW DETAILS AND MOSTLY THE ESSENCE OF THINGS. AND THAT IS JUST WHAT THE LONG-PERISHED STONE CARVER WISHED TO SAY. HE THOUGHT PEOPLE WERE JUST LIKE THE FROG AND THE OWL. SOME OF US VIEW THE WORLD WITH THE EXCITED EYE OF THE FROG AND STILL SEE EVERYTHING UPSIDE-DOWN, AND SOME OF US ARE ALWAYS ABLE TO SEE THE STARRY SKY ABOVE AND THE ESSENCE OF THINGS WITHOUT LOSING OUR PEACE.
PATER HONOR VIKTOR HEGEDÜS (1915–1975) OCD, 1951–1965 UNSKILLED, LATER SKILLED, PLANER, 1965–1975 MINISTER IN BUDA CASTLE
Animals on columns in the Chapter sacristy corridor • Windows in the royal oratory
223