Two more of Molnár-C. Paul's works have been placed in the Budapest-Downtown Parish Church, MTI reported on Thursday, 28 April. The work of the painter is not alien to the furnishings of the church, since the main altarpiece, which was destroyed in world war II, was made by Molnár-C. Paul after the burning of the world.

After World War II Molnár-C. Paul also made the crucifix hanging from the ceiling of the sanctuary and the main altarpiece (Photo: Zoltán MTI / Balogh)

As written in the MTI report, the history of the church dates back nearly two thousand years, as it was built on the foundations of the ancient Roman fortress, Contra-Aquincum. Thus, memories of nearly two thousand years are present in the church, even in the 20th century works can be found. Namely, During World War II, the main altar of the parish church was destroyed, so a tender was issued in 1947 to replace it. Three artists were invited to the competition: Jenő Medveczky, István Szőnyi and Molnár-C. Paul. The jury of the competition was also attended by the most significant art historians of the era.

The jury finally judged Molnár-C. Paul’s work to be the best, as it best suited the temple setting, it was the most reverent. Not only to the jury, but also to the congregation liked his work the most. Thus, in 1948, Molnár-C. Paul was also able to make the new main altarpiece of the church and the crucifix hanging over the sanctuary in 1949.

The painting depicting the Holy Family was made in the 1930s (Photo: MTI / Balogh Zoltán)

In 1933, Paul created his work depicting the Holy Family in the style that the artist developed during his Roman scholarship. In the autumn of 2021, the Pintér Gallery borrowed the painting for the Molnár-C. museum, then the rector of the Pázmáneum in Vienna, János Varga, bought it for the museum so that as many people as possible could see it. This is how the painting got to the Budapest-Downtown Parish Church, next to the baptismal font made by Béni Ferenczy.

An exhibition of works created for the design competition opened behind the main altar (Photo: MTI / Balogh Zoltán)

Furthermore, it is clear from the MTI's announcement that, at the request of the parish priest of the main parish church, the Hungarian National Gallery lent the sketches received for the 1947–1948 tender until 2026, which were exhibited behind the main altar of the church.

Source: MTI

Cover photo: The sanctuary of the Budapest-Downtown Parish Church, where there are also two works by Molnár-C. Paul (Photo: MTI / Balogh Zoltán)