The chapel for Anna-rét, for which the plans have been completed, is only thirty square meters in size. It is only waiting for the permits now. The memorial site, which fits into the landscape and is suitable for holding a larger open-air mass, can be created as a result of the cooperation between the Esztergom-Budapest Archdiocese and the Hegyvidéki local council - as it can be read on hegyvidek.hu.

The idea of erecting a church is not new, and religious communities and church representatives have been pushing for the establishment of a “Chapel for Atonement of the Virgin Mary” in Anna-rét for eighty years now. In 1942, an organization working for its construction was formed, which prepared the plans for the area donated by the capital next to Anna-rét.

Eighty years ago, the idea of building a church arose on Anna-rét in the mountains, which will be a shrine in 2022 (Photo: hegyvidek.hu)

The foundation stone had already been consecrated, and some of the material needed to build it was delivered to the site by December 1944, when work stopped due to the arrival of Soviet troops, and then the building materials suddenly disappeared. The intention to build a church remained, but a larger building with a capacity of three hundred people was now planned. Cardinal József Mindszenty solemnly laid the foundation stone in September 1947, but the communist state authorities vetoed the construction.

Fifty years later, in 1992, András Salamin and his family had a small chapel built on Anna-rét. However, the faithful did not give up on previous plans, they founded the Association of the Chapel for the Atonement of the Queen of the World in Svábhegy so that a shrine in the vision of Sister Natalia could be built on the original site.

The chapel built by the Salamin family in 1992 (Photo: hegyvidek.hu)

The natural environment of the area is valuable, so only a small chapel is being built. A tender was announced for the design of the church three years ago, in which environmental considerations also appeared. More than two hundred people registered for the competition, and finally the church and the local government decided to implement the award-winning concept of Péter Márkus and Kristóf Koczka. The chapel is also connected to an open-air mass and memorial site, which can also be used as a pilgrim resting place at the confluence of the western (Máriacell – Csíksomlyó) and north-south (Csesztohova – Medjugorje) Mary's pilgrimages through Anna-rét.

 

 The small, twelve-seat chapel is also connected to an open-air mass and memorial site (Photo: hegyvidek.hu)

During the planning process, taking into account the recommendations of the tender evaluation committee and the Mountain Planning Council, the concept was further refined, so that the permitting and construction plans were reached. When closed, the building will function as a small chapel with twelve seats, while it will be suitable for holding a medium-sized open-air mass when opened to a group of trees and open to the meadow.

 The total floor area of the chapel is less than thirty square meters, so it is significantly smaller than the maximum allowed by the Normafa Act. The limestone cladding of the façade and roof is in harmony with nature, harmonizing with the previously donated building stones to be used as landscaping elements.

Source: hegyvidek.hu

Cover photo: The plan of architects Péter Márkus and Kristóf Kocka is realized on Anna-rét from a chapel that fits into the landscape, which can also be used as a place of pilgrimage (Photo: hegyvidek.hu)