Calvinist church, Cluj-Napoca (Felsőváros)

“This church is the creation of the Hungarian spirit, and the Hungarian style that has arisen from this spirit is a treasure.” (Debreczeni László: A kolozsvári monostori-úti református templom. In: Pásztortűz XIV./1., 1928. 12.)

Kós delved into his experiences in the Kalotaszeg region (the area surrounding Kolozsvár, present-day Cluj-Napoca) in the case of this Reformed church. It is popularly known as the Rooster Church and stands in Kolozsvár on Monostori Road. Used again here are the characteristic four pinnacles around the spire, the painted wooden coffer ceiling, and the carved pulpit, altar and pews seen in medieval churches such as those in Bánffyhunyad (Huedin) and Magyarvalkó (Văleni) that had been converted from Catholic to Reformed.

The church leadership found the Neo-Gothic church design by the Kolozsvár master builder János Spáda (1908), which had originally been commissioned by the presbytery, to be insufficient in terms of style, budget and aesthetics. Due to this, they asked the head engineer Antal Pohl as well as Károly Kós to examine the plans. In response, Kós sent his own draft designs, made in the winter of 1912. These won the approval of the building committee and they commissioned him to prepare the final plans. After these were accepted by the church council and the administrative board in February of 1913, construction began in June. Several aspects of the project were the subject of intense debate, such as the amount of fenestration, the roofing material and the issue of the clock on the tower. 

The Ganz Electrical Company installed electricity. The two wrought-iron chandeliers and the lamps of the side aisles were also products of this company. The painted decorations of the ceiling and furnishings were designed by Sándor Muhits, a teacher at the School of Applied Arts, and were executed by his pupil Gergely Szántó. 

The church building was completed at the end of December after a half a year of work. The building committee viewed it on the 14^th of January 1914 and opened it for temporary use after finding it to be suitable. It was consecrated on the 22^nd of March 1914.

The draft plans for the parsonage and the director/choirmaster’s house connected to either side of the church as well as for the school behind the church were completed in 1914. However, this building ensemble was not constructed due to the war. Károly Kós again took part in the exterior renovation work performed in the 1970s.

There is a council chamber at the apse of the main nave of this basilica-style church, and a vestibule was connected to the southern side. A small portico was built onto the western façade, and it is possible to enter the eastern side aisle through a projecting porch. Kós erected a varied, highly articulated, asymmetric mass over the symmetrical ground plan. The taller square tower with its four pinnacles is the defining element of the main façade, and its counterpoint is the cylindrical tower on the opposite side. There is a copper rooster atop the larger tower, which also contains a bell and is adorned with the work of the clockmaker József Sononinki. This rooster symbol is repeated in the church interior and even on the fencing. The visible sections of the roof are covered in glazed green Zsolnay tiles, while gray cement fiber slate was used on the gable roof. Kós originally recommended red tile roofing, but for financial reasons it was not used in the end.

The division of the interior space is provided by the arches that spring from stout stone pillars and support the roof structure. The wooden gallery is located above the narthex and has a crest designed and painted by József Köpeczi Sebestyén. This depicts a phoenix rising from its ashes, which is a reference to the history of the congregation (this can also be seen on the postcard shown here). The furnishings are made of pine stained dark brown with carvings resembling wooden grave markers. The pews are placed in a single block in the center of the nave and can be entered from the side aisles. A detailed description of the building can be read in the article by László Debreczeni published in 1928.

The church is located in an urban environment on a busy street wedged between low buildings. Medieval Transylvanian church architecture along with the range of forms and motifs from folk art represented the starting points for Kós in the creation of the Rooster Church. By combining these, he made a building that was monumental in its appearance, while at the same time was on a human scale.