Budapest, 2001
Interior design: Márta Dragonits
Goldsmith: József Pölöskei
Textile art: Dóra Fekete
To give home to the memorial chapel of King Béla III and his wife, Anna Chatillon, Frigyes Schulek fashioned the crypt of Matthias Church as a distinct section under the sanctuary, in the second half of the 19th century. To ensure a more ornate resting place for his regal predecessors, Emperor Franz Joseph I donated a larger sum to the church, and the crypt gained new functions, including that of a museum.
In 1999 the church became ecclesiastical property, and in 2000 the Statue of the Virgin Mary was crowned with a replica of Hungary’s Holy Crown, which had been blessed by Pope John Paul II. By this time, increased tourist traffic necessitated the creation of a quiet, secluded chapel for prayer.
To furnish the chapel, a new altar, tabernacle, lectern, lighting and seats had to be designed, and heating had to be provided. We made candlesticks, a book stand and an altar cloth for the altar.
Further objects in the church: point matrix displays, confessional doors, magazine racks.
Photography: László Lelkes
