Requirements, Qualities and Solutions. Remodelling Liturgical Spaces after Vatican II in Hungary Requisitos, calidades y soluciones. Remodelación de espacios litúrgicos después del Vaticano II en Hungría Erzsébet Urbán · BME-Faculty of Architecture (Budapest, Hungary), [email protected] Recibido: 05/08/2019 Aceptado: 14/01/2020 https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2019.6.0.6233 ABSTRACT After the Second World War the ecclesiastical property was drastically reduced in Hungary. However, Vatican II gave an intense motivation and impulse to the spiritual-psychical revival for the communities and by this time, the preservation of the religious heritage got some statal, professional attention too. The restoration or reconstruction works were often linked with the acute interior transformations according to Vatican II. Although the Hungarian publication and interpretation of the reforms were relatively slow, still a few essential informative discussions were born. The Venice Charter (1964) also had a sig- nificant effect on the monument preservation methodology in this period. Analysing the theoretical approach of the Vatican II Constitution and Instruction a close parallelism can be identified with the architectural aspects of the Venice Charter: respect the old parts with the obviously distinguishable, new supplements, and create modern artworks with high artistic quality. The end of the paper cites some brief case studies to present the practical implementation of the directives. KEYWORDS Hungary, Vatican II, Theory vs. Practice, Architectural Methodology, Venice Charter RESUMEN Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la propiedad eclesiástica se redujo drásticamente en Hungría. El Concilio Vaticano II dio una intensa motivación e impulso al avivamiento psíquico-espiritual de las comunidades. La preservación de la heren- cia religiosa recibió cierta atención profesional y estatal. La investigación arqueológica e histórica comenzó a ser exhaustiva en las capillas e iglesias medievales, y las obras de restauración o reconstrucción a menudo se vincularon con las intensas transformaciones interiores realizadas según el Vaticano II. La Carta de Venecia (1964) tuvo un efecto significativo en la metodología de preservación de monumentos. Analizando el enfoque teórico de la Carta de Venecia, se puede identificar un estrecho paralelismo con los aspectos arquitectónicos de la Constitución y la Instrucción del Vaticano II: respetar las partes antiguas con los nuevos añadidos, obviamente distinguibles, y crear obras de arte modernas con alta calidad artística. El documento examina casos de estudio para presentar similitudes entre la implementación práctica de las directivas y las líneas de actuación. PALABRAS CLAVE Hungría, Concilio Vaticano II, teoría versus práctica, metodología arquitectónica, Carta de Venecia CÓMO CITAR: Urbán, Erzsébet. 2019. «Requirements, Qualities and Solutions. Remodelling Liturgical Spaces after Vatican II in Hungary». Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea 6: 130-143. https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2019.6.0.6233. 130 Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea 6 (2019) REQUIREMENTS, QUALITIES AND SOLUTIONS. REMODELLING LITURGICAL SPACES AFTER VATICAN II IN HUNGARY Fig. 01. The Hungarian translations of the Vatican II documents published as little booklets by St. Stephen’s Society, 1966-88. IMPORTANCE OF THE VATICAN II IN cial constraints, a more permissive and cooperative HUNGARY principle of state power was in place that, however, As a result of the military political situation estab- still aimed to establish an atheist state. As the first lished by the end of the Second World War and the element of the esasement process, for the Hungarian compromises aiming to resolve conflicts of interest, Church Leaders who had been completely deprived Hungary had become part of the Soviet sphere of of their former international relations, the Vatican influence by the end of the peace negotiations. Until II —started in 1962— provided opportunity for the change of the regime in 1989, the sovereignty renewed, but still highly controlled contact (Fejérdy of the country was limited, but its extent changed 2016). In addition to organizational opening (Entz from time to time as a result of foreign and domestic policy events. Accordingly, the period between 1945 1964), the reforms urged by the Council anticipated and 1989 can be divided into several characteristi- spiritual renewal for those in oppression. At the same cally distinct periods. The one-party system, formed time, to support liturgical reformation, the physical by wishes the Soviet sphere of interest, urged the renewal and transformation of liturgical spaces could social restratification, furthermore it systematically also become a topical, practical task. In the case of nationalized the fields of culture, science, and edu- historic churches, which had been highly neglected cation, as well. The tough restrictions experienced during the atheist period of state power (Dümmerling under the Rákosi dictatorship in the 1950s eased a et al. 1960), this necessary and urgent transformation bit during the Kádár era, which came after the sup- provided an opportunity for the sacred building stock pression of the 1956 revolution. By that time the who to receive more prominent attention as part of the is not against us is with us attitude was typical for the political leadership. The position of Churches, national heritage. Through its central office, the state apostrophized as enemies of the established system, has entrusted the National Monument Protection has also changed accordingly over the decades. Authority —which brought together the best experts While in the initial period the absolute secularization of the era— with the reconstruction and internal ren- was the aim, from the mid-1960s, besides finan- ovation of the churches. Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea 6 (2019) 131 ERZSÉBET URBÁN HUNGARIAN PUBLICATION AND Catholic church space was getting closer to the space INTERPRETATION OF THE REFORMS of the Reformed churches. The reform brings down The Archdiocese of Esztergom has already drew the pulpit from its former high position to the place attention to the most important points of a council of the Liturgia Verbi. The priestly chair, the sedile reforms in its circular letter of the 20 March 1965: becomes part of the daily mass, and in connection while the use of own national language is uniform- with this the legile, the reading stand is added as a ly mandatory in the Instruktio section, in respect new element. Standing sacrifice is allowed, and while of the liturgical space, the use of versus populum it is recommended but not mandatory to establish a altar named in the Constitutio section, is primarily versus populum altar, the use of the sedile, the legile recommended but not obligatory.1 Considering the and the ambo are absolutely necessary. The rest of protection of existing values, from the ecclesiastical the manuscript deals with the detailed analysis of point of view, the transformation of liturgical spaces existing or new elements used in the liturgical space, should be done only in those cases where the valua- taking into account the characteristics of the historic ble artworks and installations are not damaged by the churches. Each chapter is divided into three main intervention. The circular cautioned the parish priests sections: requirements, conditions and solutions. against mediocre creations in the spirit of innovation, An important element of the manuscript is the pres- and highlighted the importance of noble artistic value entation of solutions fitting into the constraints of of the new installations. The Hungarian translation historical insides that might be considered good or at of the central provision of the Vatican II had been most compromised, which Dümmerling recommends completed relatively slow: between 1966 and 1988, to designers for practical implementation. the Saint Stephen Society published the documents in As a result of council reforms, efforts to trans- Hungary, not all at once but in forms of little booklets form existing liturgical spaces throughout the country (Fig. 01). In addition, interpretive dictionaries and accelerated. During the initial period, often unprofes- explanatory texts have been published in columns of sional interventions took place, so central, profession- several Christian journals for a long time. al support of the architectural-space renewal became In 1966, Ödön Dümmerling published his man- essential from both church and monument protection uscript to support the professional renewal of the side. Theoretical and practical training of pastors and sacred heritage. Interpreting the rules, in the intro- designers has become very urgent. At the conference ductory part Dümmerling clearly stated the Church’s held on the 17 March 1967 the Hungarian Bench requirements for liturgical spaces, that the Church of Bishops established a three-member bishopric considers it important to protect valuable old mem- ories, while it also considers it appropriate to for- committee for the introduction of the liturgy reform mulate new works of art by contemporary means. in Hungary. In order to protect historic chucrhes, the From an architectural point of view, an essential committee was in direct contact with the National element of the summary is the interpretation of the Monument Inspectorate (Országos Mûemléki spatial impact of liturgical reform on the church Felügyelõség = OMF). The guidelines of the Vatican space, which