Relationship of Proportions, Floorplan Patterns, Typology, and Symmetry in Religious Architecture with Particular Focus on the Roman Catholic Church Architecture in Interwar Hungary

Abstract

Symmetry, asymmetry, and proportions are often discussed terms in architecture since Vitruvius. The most prominent Renaissance masters of architecture and architecture theory drew on his reflections when contemplating architectural proportions and symmetry. The surge of Modern- ism in arts in the 20th century brought the question of proportion once again into the limelight. The one building type with some of the longest historical traditions is the church, whose architecture, due to the functional constraints and the often-rigid liturgical rules of the denominations, has been very slow to adapt to the changing times. Church architecture of the interwar period is remarkable in multiple ways, carrying the marks of bygone centuries but also an openness to innovation. In its architecture, the Roman Catholic Church of Hungary sought to maintain the delicate balance be- tween the preservation of tradition and the expansion of modernist trends. In the pursuit to better understanding the co-existence of traditions and modernism in the interwar church architecture, the attitude towards symmetry arises as a potential new vantage point. In comparison to the usual practice of style-based examination, the analysis of patterns in both the layout of facades and floor plan arrangements with the help of a specific typology is pointing to new research directions.