N 46°37’808″ E 17°29’340″
The fourth stop of the ROM Vándor programme is the Varjaskér church ruins on the outskirts of the village of Somogyszentpál. Thanks to the social responsibility programme, a sacral monument in Somogy County has now been revived. As regards the ruin site inaugurated in the autumn of 2024, the programme’s objective was also fulfilled: to save, revitalise and promote our built heritage, which is part of our national culture, thus strengthening the cultural power and identity of the South Transdanubian region. The rehabilitation of the almost unknown Árpád-era ruin monument was entirely coordinated, executed and financed by Market Építő Zrt.
Ruin history
The name of the village of Kér, which was founded in the time of the Hungarian land-taking, refers to the name of the tribe that settled there. It was first inhabited by soldiers to protect the military road along the southern shore of Lake Balaton. The first documentary record dates from 1292, in which the exchange of the estates of Akcs and Kér is mentioned (the document of 1321 also mentions the settlement in Somogy as Ker, then Keer). The church of Kér is mentioned in the 1333 list of papal tithes as an element of the Somogy Archbishopric. Later, the Turkish occupation of the village and the church with it meant the end of this village. People no longer returned to the area, which had been deserted sometime after 1536, they founded a new settlement further north, which determined the fate of the church. The area around the ruin was slowly becoming a victim of decay and was used only for burial. The gravestones of the cemetery of the modern age lie abandoned to this day, scattered over the area. The present village of Somogyszentpál was created in 1928 by the merger of Varjaskér and Tótszentpál.
Tracing 800 years
The brick church, which was probably built in the 13th century, has only its western (entrance) façade wall, which may have been extended in several historical periods. In the first period of construction, a small traditional village church of the Árpád-period, with a straight-vaulted 12 x 7 m chevet and a gallery of the patron inside on the west side was built. The former cemetery wall surrounding the church also dates from the first period. Later, a sacristy or chapel was built next to the sanctuary, and over time, a 7 x 7 m corner pillar extension with a tower body, a western entrance doorway was added to the existing church mass from the west. The section of wall that stands today is the western, entrance wall remnant of this tower, which enriches the picturesque Somogy landscape with its sculptural silhouette.
More serious archaeological research was first carried out only in 1960, when the ruin area was partially excavated under the leadership of Márk Kovácsevics (a teacher living in Somogyszentpál). At that time, 18 human skeletons were found in the crypt in the nave of the church, as well as 3 other burial sites. Underneath the sanctuary, burnt oak floor bricks were uncovered, and a rare bronze crucifix was also found (the artefact was transported to the Hungarian National Museum). Since the 1970s, no further research was carried out until the spring of 2024, when a geophysical survey of the entire ruin area and the immediate surroundings of the church was carried out by ground-penetrating radar as part of the ROM Vándor programme. The results of this survey identified the former size of the church (18×7 metres) and the exact trace of the surrounding wall. The monument is one of the few ruins that have not yet been touched by heritage preservationists. Now conserved and preserved, the masonry is a remnant of the original medieval building.
ROM Vándor (RUIN Rover)
The design concept, which is at the core of the ROM Vándor programme, is to technically renovate the monument, to preserve its aesthetic and historical values as well as the natural, harmonious relationship between the poetic ruin and the landscape. As part of the preparatory investigations, although the experts did not find any significant structural cracks in the brickwork of the monument, the professional restoration and stabilisation of the centuries-old masonry was very much due. Based on the restoration plan, the existing wall surface was cleaned up (fugues, original plaster patches), then the wall collapses were replaced using “authentic” bricks and the wall crown was rebuilt. The combined character of the stones in the brickwork further enhances the naturalistic character of the ruin.
The Gate
The medieval building remains, preserved as a sculptural ruin, have been given a small-scale contemporary addition. A Corten steel gate element placed in the entrance recess both stabilises the structure and indicates the location and scale of the former gate, while also marking the sacral focal point of the space. The lines of the gate plate follow the original reveal design, its abstract representation complying with the guidelines of the monumental maps (highly distinctive).
“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved.”
(Gospel of John, 10:9)
As part of the environmental works, effective surface drainage around the ruins was carried out, lowering the ground level along the church wall to the medieval level, and, based on the results of geophysical surveys, the traces of the foundation walls and the churchyard of the former church (Periods I and II) were marked with earth piles. For the visitor, this landscape architecture gives an “experiential” interpretation of the layout and scale of the medieval church, naturally fitting in with the undulating character of the landscape.
Values of the ruin landscape
The Marcali ridge, Inner and Outer Somogy, and the Nagyberek, which is surrounded by Lake Balaton, were once part of Lake Balaton, but have been separated from it over time. Until the 1850s, the area was periodically covered by continuous water and was characterised all over by a marshy, shrubby landscape. Today, only small and large patches of this wild aquatic world remain, such as the Ordacsehi-berek and the Fehér-vízi-láp. It is mainly these natural assets that make Somogyszentpál and its surroundings attractive to tourists, who are keen to use the small railway from Balatonfenyves, which runs through the beautiful Somogy landscape.
The small Somogy village has enjoyed a flourishing period in recent years, and in 2023 Somogyszentpál was selected as one of the sites of the Veszprém-Balaton European Capital of Culture project. The renewed heritage site will further strengthen the popularity, cultural and tourist strength and identity of the village and the region. The church ruins are accessible by car up to the site boundary, with signposts placed at the junction of the main road and the access road to help find your way.
Corporate volunteering
In addition to the involvement of renowned experts, all the related tasks – from preparation to inauguration – were carried out with the participation of Market Építő Zrt.’s volunteer staff. At the end of the construction works, more than 50 colleagues helped with the following public works as part of the company’s volunteer day:
- 5 saplings were planted in the courtyard of the kindergarten and the library.
- The old, worn-out fence of the doctor’s surgery has been painted.
- In the ruin area, they have cleared the stone tombs of the modern age and carried out some minor landscaping works.
- The volunteers painted the walls of the local kindergarten as part of a community graffiti event, creating the first ROM Vándor graffiti!
- In addition, 6 kestrel boxes were placed in the vicinity of the ruin area, under the management of the Balatonfelvidéki National Park.
Ruin ceremony
The public inauguration of the programme site with the involvement of the press was held on 18 October 2024. Krisztina Deák, Deputy State Secretary for Monument Protection (ÉKM), Attila József Móring, Member of Parliament/Government Commissioner, Edit Poszáné Szabó, Mayor, Tamás Krenn, Project Manager of Market Építő Zrt. and Péter Belecz, Director of the ROM Vándor programme gave a speech at the ceremony.
„Market Építő Zrt.’s programme gives new impetus to continue the work of the great predecessors”
Krisztina Deák (Deputy State Secretary for Monument Protection)
”This programme not only aims to preserve and restore medieval building remains, with exemplary adherence to professional protocols, but also provides an opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge of the building, the surrounding area and the architectural history of the period through the use of modern tools for survey and documentation. The rediscovery of Árpád-era monuments is a rethinking of the history of monument conservation in Hungary. Today’s event goes beyond the event of the moment, as it reminds us of the importance and continuity of our history and our faith in our nation. All such useful and community-building programmes help us to understand the need for permanence in our strongly changing culture, to preserve what is truly important and to take responsibility for this in a conscious way in society.” – said Krisztina Deák, Deputy State Secretary for Monument Protection.
The inauguration of the renovated Varjaskér church ruin received national press coverage, which helped to spread the word about the fourth venue to a wider audience. Four more medieval ruins are in preparation as part of ROM Vándor, with the next programme site in Tolna County.
ROM VÁNDOR PROGRAMME 04 / SOMOGYSZENTPÁL
Main contractor and financier: Market Építő Zrt.; Programme director: Péter Belecz; Project manager: Tamás Krenn; Site manager: Tamás Szabadosi; Technical estimation engineer: Ágnes Jung; Shead of Sponsorship and CSR: Edit Nagy
Partners
Design: Lead designer Bálint Kelemen (KÖZTI); Scientific documentation: Ádám Arnóth, Gergely Patak (KÖZTI); Lead structural designer: Péter Váczi (KÖZTI); Archaeological partner: István Molnár (Rippl-Rónai Museum); 3D point cloud, orthophoto: Tibor Szappanyos (Kvalitron Kft.); Geophysical survey: Máté Stibrányi; Restoration plan: Gábor Bánfi; Landscape and environmental design: Mária Windisch (Market Építő Zrt.)
Execution
Market Építő Zrt., Market Épületszerviz Kft., OKM Kft., T-Brass Kft., Gábor Bánfi restorer, Harappa Kft.
Partner supporter
Historic mortar: MAPEI Kft. (Antique Allettamento)