Ernő Foerk and the Medieval Cathedrals of Kalocsa

Béla Zsolt Szakács

doi:10.2478/jbe-2019-0015

Abstract

The restoration of the Baroque cathedral of Kalocsa was led by Ernő Foerk between 1907 and 1912. During these years the facades of the church were renewed, a Neo-Baroque ambulatory was added, and excavations were carried out within the sanctuary and in front of the south facade. Based on these excavations, Ernő Foerk published theoretical reconstructions of the first and second medieval cathedrals and criticised the results of the previous research, conducted by Imre Henszlmann. Foerk, being also a scholar of the history of architecture, based his results on analogies. This paper intends to point out the elements which are outdated in the reconstruction of Foerk and his methodology that is still relevant.

References

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[5] Diary of Ernő Foerk (a type-written copy is available in the Hungarian Architectural Museum), 31., 02/08/1906. Foerk visited the Archbishop in September personally and started to measure the cathedral with Petrovácz, ibidem, 20-23/09/1906. I wish to express my gratitude to Eszter Baldaváry and the Museum for their help during my research.
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[6] Diary, op. cit. 34., 26/07/1907.
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[7] Diary, op. cit. 35., 31/12/1907.
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[8] Diary, op. cit. 36., 28/02/1908.
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[9] Some modifications were discussed between Frigyes Schulek and Ernő Foerk. Diary, op. cit. 38., 28-29/12/1908. The minutes were verified by Foerk on 15/01/1909.
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[10] Diary, op. cit. 40., 29/09/1909.
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[11] Diary, op. cit. 42., 1-/03/1910. On 28 March Foerk travelled to Kalocsa where the works have been started on 29/03/1910.
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[12] Diary, op. cit. 49., 4/10/1911. Archbishop Városy died in the previous year therefore the festive mass was celebrated by the new archbishop, János Csernoch (1911-1913).
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[16] Foerk op.cit. 1915, 49-51.
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[17] For the comparison of the two ground plans, see László op.cit. 92. and Szakács, B. Zs., Az államalapítás korának építészete Magyarországon, Műemlékvédelem 44 (2000), 67-74.: 68.
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[19] Foerk op.cit. 1915, 50, fig. 71.
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[24] Foerk op.cit. 1915, 56.
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Ernő Foerk and the Medieval Cathedrals of Kalocsa

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