N 46°34’01.7″ E 18°19’59.8″
The fifth stop of the heritage rescue programme brings us to the Somoly church ruins, hidden among the rolling hills of the Tolna uplands. The former medieval church of the vanished village of Somoly, dating from the 14th–15th centuries, has survived only as a ruin – both a chronicler and an ornament of the surrounding landscape. In 2025, the ROM Vándor initiative of Market Építő Zrt. breathed new life into this relic, focusing simultaneously on the rehabilitation of our shared cultural treasures and on rekindling the spiritual and cultural link between our national past and present.
Survey map / First military survey map from 1782 (source: Arcanum)
The Story of the Ruin
Located in the outer fields of Regöly, the Gothic-style church preserves the memory of the once-flourishing village of Somoly, which first appears in written sources in 1389. During the Ottoman campaigns, the village was plundered and set ablaze; its population likely fled or perished during the Long Turkish War. By 1622, the area was already recorded as deserted, and the ruin of the church was first mentioned in an ecclesiastical visitation report of 1721. The earliest archaeological observer of the Somoly church ruins was Flóris Rómer, who, during his 1866 journey, sketched the remains in meticulous detail, producing both a measured ground plan and elevation drawings. At that time, only the uppermost parts of the tower openings were missing, and the outline of the polygonal apse could still be clearly discerned.
Centuries of Silence
For centuries, the remnants of the church stood abandoned and exposed to the elements, until 1963, when the National Inspectorate of Historic Monuments undertook a programme of conservation, based on the plans of architect Klára H. Nándori. At the same time, archaeologist Gyula Mészáros carried out research to locate the fallen sections of the tower walls. The 1963 conservation represents a remarkable technical and aesthetic achievement: the brick pillar reinforcements added at that time were executed with exceptional care and craftsmanship, ultimately saving the ruin from total collapse.
In 1999, archaeological excavations led by János Ódor and András K. Németh further clarified the original layout and exact dimensions of the church. The investigations revealed that the interior length measured 17 metres, with the sanctuary spanning 4.8 metres in width. Fragments of floor tiles suggested a transverse brick pavement, while shards of window glass indicated the presence of glazed openings. The entire church had been constructed of brick: a polygonal sanctuary adjoined the nave, with a sacristy attached to the northern side. A tower – built simultaneously with the nave – rose from the western façade. Its most striking feature was a ground-floor open arcade vestibule, from which the pointed-arched western portal of the church opened. The tower base had originally been vaulted, and its upper levels were once accessible from the church gallery. Traces of discoloured mortar identified inside the tower hint at the building’s fiery destruction. Over the past six decades, this secluded monument has continued to deteriorate dramatically, its condition reaching a critical state by the time the 2025 intervention began – a restoration both timely and necessary.
ROM Vándor
The primary aim of the interventions carried out within the ROM Vándor Programme was to ensure the professional protection and stabilisation of the surviving historic fabric – not through reconstruction, but by preserving the ruin as a living memento, shaped and refined by time itself. During the project, the centuries-old brick masonry was structurally consolidated, the tower’s cracks were reinforced using a modern wall-stitching technique, and the entire wall system was carefully integrated into a unified whole. Conservation work extended to the original plaster fragments, which were treated and stabilised by restorers. In addition, a lightning protection system was installed, and the ruin site and its access routes were redesigned and landscaped. From a landscape perspective, the Somoly ruin holds a prominent role: not only does it form a striking visual landmark, but it also represents one of the rare surviving medieval monuments of the Tolna region.
The ruin is not a void, but a testimony – historical, cultural, and spiritual all at once.
The fully conserved masonry fabric, with restored sections of the original plaster
Wall cracks and the 1963 infillings were unified and stabilised using the “dry wall stitching” technique
The hidden memorial ruin
Sacred Meaning and Contemporary Interpretation
One of the distinctive qualities of the programme lies in its ambition to go beyond mere conservation. The intention was not only to safeguard the ruins, but to reawaken their sacred and communal meaning through restrained, contemporary architectural gestures – interventions that resonate with the spirit of the place. Here, in Regöly, two such carefully judged contemporary elements were integrated into the historic fabric. The first is a Corten steel lightning conductor, which at once fulfils a technical function and serves as a cross – a symbolic act of design that unites the structure’s physical protection with its spiritual purpose. The second is a suspended metal installation inside the tower: a delicate sculptural composition which, when viewed from the centre of the tower’s interior, takes the form of a soaring dove – the Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit, purity, and innocence. Through this spatial installation, the ruin itself finds voice once again, addressing the visiting traveller in silent dialogue.
As part of the landscape and restoration works, a 700-metre-long access path was created, and the disturbed surroundings of the ruin were rehabilitated to ensure that the site could be approached and explored safely, while presenting a coherent and harmonious landscape composition. During the now traditional corporate volunteer day, nearly fifty employees of Market Építő Zrt. took part in planting flowers and shrubs along the former wall lines of the medieval church. This act symbolically reinforced the natural dialogue between the ruin and its environment, protecting the inner “green island” and highlighting the contours of the vanished structure. For the ongoing protection of the monument, steel marker posts were installed to define the inner ruin zone. Within one of these, a “ruin logbook” was placed – inviting visitors to write or draw freely, leaving their own trace among the stones of history.
Arrive, and lift your gaze to the heavens!
From collective heritage to community and personal experience
The project’s entire funding, coordination, and implementation were provided by Market Építő Zrt. Throughout the restoration, the company drew upon the full range of expertise and services of the Market Group – from preliminary scientific and specialist research and heritage authorisations to construction and landscape design – carrying out every task “in-house” or in close professional partnership. For the company, this endeavour represents far more than an architectural project: it stands as a tangible act of social responsibility, a genuine form of public value creation that bridges heritage, craftsmanship, and community.
The overarching aim of the ROM Vándor Programme is to ensure that restored ruins such as this one become key destinations along national and international pilgrimage and hiking routes. The hidden medieval treasure of Regöly embodies this vision perfectly – at once mystical and welcoming, secluded yet accessible, intimate yet communal. Here, the petrified memory of the past awakens anew, preserved with dignity to tell its story to generations yet to come.
Corporate Volunteering – Serving a Shared Cause
“The ROM Vándor initiative thrives on the collective spirit of the Market community. During volunteer days, our employees dedicate heartfelt labour to rescuing forgotten monuments – a contribution whose true value cannot be measured in money. We believe that respect for tradition and commitment to heritage preservation are our essential duties: to hand down the values of the past in renewed, inspiring form to the generations of the future.” – Sándor Scheer, founder and CEO of Market Építő Zrt.
The Celebration of the Ruin
The restored monument was formally presented to the public on 29 July 2025. Speeches were delivered by Krisztina Deák, Deputy State Secretary for Monument Protection and Cultural Heritage; Sándor Scheer, Founder and CEO of Market Építő Zrt.; Ildikó Budai-Vajk, Mayor of Regöly; and Péter Belecz, Programme Director of ROM Vándor. As part of the ceremony, the sacred monument was blessed by dr. Tamás Lábár, parish priest.
“The scattered Árpád-era church ruins of Hungary can no longer rely on the presence of living local communities. That is why programmes such as this, realised within the framework of Market Építő Zrt.’s social engagement, hold such great importance: they preserve our national memory in its physical form, strengthen local communities, and share these rediscovered values with all who come to visit.” – Krisztina Deák, Deputy State Secretary for Monument Protection.
https://epiteszforum.hu/atadtak-a-felujitott-somolyi-templomromot-regoly-hataraban
https://ng.24.hu/kultura/2025/08/20/market-epito-zrt-rom-vandor-program-somolyi-templomrom-regoly/
ROM VÁNDOR PROGRAMME 05. / REGÖLY
Main contractor and programme financier: Market Építő Zrt.
Programme director: Péter Belecz
Project manager: Tamás Krenn
Construction manager: Tamás Szabadosi
Technical estimation engineer: Ágnes Jung
Landscape and environmental design: Mária Windisch, Anna Szatmáry
Head of Sponsorship and CSR: Edit Nagy
PARTNERS:
Design: Bálint Kelemen, lead designer (KÖZTI)
Scientific documentation: Miklós Rácz
Support structure: Péter Váczi (KÖZTI), Egon Baratta
Restorer: Gábor Bánfi
Archaeological partner: Wosinsky Mór County Museum
3D point cloud, orthophoto: Tibor Szappanyos / Kvalitron Kft.
Professional consultant: Ádám Arnóth (monument expert)
Historic mortar: MAPEI Kft.
EXECUTION:
Market Épületszervíz Kft., OKM Kft., T-Brass Kft., Harappa Kft., Zalán Adorján
Unmarked photos: ROM Vándor project team