The face of the wizard

The Lutheran Church of Siófok

This church has an important place in my heart. During my childhood summers I was amazed by it's forms and all the time I looked at the façade I pictured a face of a wizard (and the roof is it's pointy hat).
The church was designed by Imre Makovecz, a pioneer in organic architecture in Hungary. He designed many other churches and among others, the building complex of my university, the Faculty of Humanities of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Piliscsaba.
The construction had been finished in 1990 and the church was consecrated in 1992.
In the summer of 2012, my father and I attended a Sunday mass in the church and had the opportunity to speak with the pastor of the community. He explained us the symbolism of the forms of the building: the eye-shaped windows represent the eyes of God, the wings are wings of angels. The curved wooden lines starts on the sides of the gate and go up to the windows refers to the pastoral cane (Pastor Bonus - Good Sheperd). Below the cross on the top is an ornament that symbolizes the Tree of Life and the cross of Christ. The façade is orientated to the lake Balaton and the shape of the nave recalls the form of an arc, that one of Noah's.

I got this postcard when I spent my internship in a gallery and there was the photo exhibition of the buildings of Imre Makovecz. He also attended the exhibition opening so I could meet and speak with him. Makovecz died in the following year.
The photo was took by the photographer Gábor Máté.

Date: November 2010