The Church of Szent Imre in Rönök

Architectural History of the Church

The Original Church

Only a few reports about the original church building are known. The first mention of a sacred building in Felsorönök appeared in the 15th Century when a priest named Kelemen was reported working there in 1452. In 1698 a historian named Kazo referred to the church as spacious and having an arched chancel and a wooden choir. A church inquiry from 1757 showed that the church, which stood some distance to the west of the village (probably Alsórönök), had a tower covered with wooden shingles as well as a vestry. The chancel was-arched (as already described in 1698) and the nave had a ceiling made of wooden boards. The facilities included three altars: the main altar of St. Emmerich and two unconsecrated altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary. On July 15, 1864, lightning struck the church tower. The repairs lasted until 1866. In 1867, a new altar dedicated to St. Emmerich was purchased and consecrated on the June 11th of that year. Three days prior, on June 8th, a new pulpit commemorating the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph I as King of Hungary had been completed.

The Construction of the New Church

According to records of the time, demolishment of the church was begun in 1893, presumably with the aim of building a larger one. The specific designs for the new building were completed in August 1898 and attributed to the Leipzig-born and Vienna-based architect Ludwig Schöne. His works include, among others, the Protestant church in Körmend (1886), both the Catholic parish church (1892/93) and Savings Bank (1880-90) in Köszeg (Güns), as well as the synagogue in Szombathely (1878-1880). The laying of the cornerstone of the new church, which was now served by parish priest Josef Bartl, took place on November 2, 1902 and construction was overseen by Josef Lang from Szentgotthárd. Funding was secured from the Royal Hungarian Church Fund. On August 28, 1904, outside construction was completed and the church was soon used for pastoral purposes. The project was not yet quite finished at this point and donations for its completion were solicited. On April 13, 1945, retreating German troops set the church on fire. However, local residents acted quickly in putting out the fire, thus limiting the amount of damage. In 1951, the last mass held at St. Emmerich was read by parish priest János Komíves (1919-1999), who had to leave the country under intense political pressure. Since the church was now located in the so-called “No Man's Land”, an uninhabited area on the border between Austria and Hungary, it was left to decay and became a ruin.

The Reconstruction of the Church

Only after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 could the reconstruction of St. Emmerich commence. To this purpose the association "Save St.Emmerich’s Church” was established and held its inaugural meeting on November 23, 1989. The restoration project, which was championed particularly by the association’s chairwoman, Elfriede Jaindl from Inzenhof, began in autumn of 1990.Various companies and organizations contributed to the success of the project, among them the Vocational Schools in Vienna-Floridsdorf and Villach, who completed the copper work on the tower in 1991 under the direction of Guild Master Manfred Willitsch. On August 19, 1991, the tower cross was blessed by Pope John Paul II in the presence of Bishops Stefan László (diocese of Eisenstadt) and István Konkoly (diocese of Szombathely). At that time, only the tower and the roof of the church had been finished. The following year, the remaining church was completed and consecrated on September 20, 1992.

In addition, pictures are available on Hannes' current website, Scholem & Friends:

Pictures from a walk around the church

Pictures of the cemetery
 

See also: History of Rönök / Radling
 

by Johannes Graf

2010.12.06