Calvinist Church belfry restoration, Sepsiszentgyörgy

In March 1941, Károly Kós visited Sepsiszentgyörgy in connection with the fortress church, which had been damaged by an earthquake. At that time, he was also dealing with the fate of several historic churches in Székelyföld, including the restoration of the fortress church in Marosvásárhely. According to Kós’s proposal, the tower steeple would have been removed and replaced by a four-turreted tower steeple. The restoration, however, was not carried out in this proposed form.

The following interview provides insight into Kós Károly’s activities and responsibilities at the time:

Székely Nép, 15 March 1941, pp. 4, 6.

Gábor Gulyás:

Damaged Transylvanian churches, national flags, and Székely treasures of lasting value

Károly Kós speaks about his plans and aspirations

The question of the Székely National Museum and the Mikó College

(Sepsiszentgyörgy)

The Transylvanian Székely churches that were severely damaged by the earthquake now have a notable visitor. A well-known and widely respected figure is touring the churches. People whisper behind his back and speak his name with reverence. He is the polymath of Transylvania’s artistic and scholarly life—writer, scholar, master builder, and organizer: Károly Kós.

He spent several days recently in Sepsiszentgyörgy. Why? He explains:

“— Many matters have accumulated; I had to come. First and foremost, there are problems with the Reformed church in Sepsiszentgyörgy, which is why the bishop also asked me to come down. The earthquake damaged the church so badly that the roof must be demolished, the tower dismantled down to the dangerous crack, and then rebuilt. There is no need whatsoever for the dome. In general, churches throughout Székelyföld are in poor condition, and enormous sums would be required for their reconstruction. Since these old fortress churches are also listed monuments, it would be advisable to request funding from the National Committee for Monuments. How much would be needed—I do not even dare to calculate.”

“— The situation is the same in Kézdivásárhely. From here I am going there, as both the church and the school are also in poor condition.”

The building of the Mikó College

We are now fully engaged in conversation, having arrived at another dear topic: the school. What else could we speak about but the Mikó College?

“— Rebuilding the Mikó College would be very costly,” says Kós Károly. “I advised the director against it. The college should not move back into that courtyard-bound, airless building. The building should be handed over for office use. The idea of a school city cannot yet be realized, so the best solution would be for the college to remain where it is now, although that location is also too small. The state does not intend to establish a teacher-training institute here, and this site would be suitable for creating a modern, pavilion-style, airy school. Moving back, in my opinion, would be unhealthy and wrong. One must not hide a school in the middle of the city in a courtyard-bound, airless place. … Sepsiszentgyörgy would also need a cultural center and spaces where theatre performances could be held. Where this might be located will be decided in the future. And throughout Transylvania, national flags and heroic memorials should be erected—not as makeshift works, but as true masterpieces.”

Székely treasures in cellars and attics

“— The situation around the Székely National Museum is no better. The museum absolutely needs to be expanded. We have already received a promise to that effect, but nothing more so far. The ministry has instructed the museum to submit a budget related to the reconstruction. I worked on the budget for two nights, but no response has yet arrived. Meanwhile, the situation in the museum is untenable. There is no place for the library, even though a significant expansion must be anticipated. Part of the famous Székely charter collection is stored in the attic and in the cellar. A portion of the ethnographic collection is also deteriorating there due to lack of space. The entire museum has only one properly paid employee. Yet this museum faces major tasks in the future, as it is the only major cultural institution in the east, significant not only from a scholarly perspective but also from a social one. It has served as a cultural center and carried out important community work.

Until the expansion is completed, however, meaningful museum work cannot truly begin, simply because there is nowhere to place the collected material.”

Lack of manpower

I ask him about his further plans. He shakes his head.

“— I do not like to talk about these. I would like to do many things, but I have no time. I would like, for instance, to write a little. Or to go home, because for weeks now I have hardly known where I am. I live a wandering life as long as the question of the Székely churches occupies me. And yet there would be enormous work to do—here, in Kolozsvár, and in Budapest as well.”

“— Social work in Transylvania should be continued, but there is no manpower. The Transylvanians have moved away, and those from the mother country cannot easily integrate into the new environment. Our own culture must be further developed, because culture is not produced by schools alone. In the returned territories of Transylvania, there is twice as much work as there was during the minority period.”

“We should seek solutions to our problems. To give just one economic example: there is not a single secondary-level industrial school in Transylvania.”

“These are thoughts and plans. For the time being, I would simply like to get home.”

He says this in the tone of someone who can barely bear the many burdens placed upon him. Yet his eyes tell a different story: they shine youthfully, full of strength. Kós Károly complained a little about the heavy workload, but I believe that in the evening, alongside his daily bread, he asks God to grant him his daily work. What kind of work—does not matter. He is Transylvania’s polymath, its old garabonciás student, and he must understand everything…