Restoration of the Church of Cserépváralja

In 1950s Hungary, under the restrictive regulations of the dictatorship, church construction was permitted only in exceptional cases. In the peripheral village of Cserépváralja, a modest yet architecturally significant church was realized through local materials, communal labor, and minimal resources under professional supervision. Despite these constraints, it became a landmark of Hungarian modernism. The recent renovation aims to address structural ageing and integrate contemporary standards—accessibility, insulation, drainage—while preserving the building’s original architectural integrity.

During the design phase, particular emphasis was placed on understanding the church’s original condition and architectural intent. Three key design principles guided the intervention. First, the dramaturgically constructed spatial sequence leading the worshipper from the street to the sacred interior was reinterpreted. As the village’s ageing population faced difficulties accessing the church via stairs, a new, less demanding route was introduced. Second, the use of materials was reconsidered. The original concept followed a deliberate narrative of refinement from the exterior to the altar, expressed through finer and finer finishes. These surfaces were carefully restored, and new elements were designed to follow this material logic. Finally, the church’s distinctive form—an inverted, elevated roof ridge aligned with a double entrance axis—was respected and adapted. The altar area was reorganized reflecting post–Vatican II liturgical principles.

During the renovation work, we restored the original finishes to both the interior and exterior. The newly built retaining wall and ramp try to carry on the original idea. The ramp, which takes advantage of the environment, starts from the sacristy and then breaks at an angle to the roof geometry to reach the entrance. The retaining wall is made of poured concrete, in which we have placed the same type of local stone used in the church, both reflecting the old masonry and indicating its different character from the rest of the building. We also wanted to restore the ambo to its original concept. The surface treatment and character are identical to the original, but the height and positioning are different. The main reason for this is that its role was enhanced after the Second Vatican Council. Because of its central role in the current Catholic liturgy, it has been turned towards more seating and its height has been designed to be more in keeping with the dimensions of the altar table.