Ernő Bogos, an architect from Szeklerland, has defined his career by the diversity of the culture of his native land, as he stated in his induction speech: “I was born in Frumoasa, at the eastern tip of the Ciuc Basin, in the last settlement of the road connecting Transylvania with Moldavia, before the Ghimeș mountain saddle. It was a world of people living in harmony with the landscape. Szeklers, Armenians, the Ghimeș Csángós over the mountain, and Romanians who had settled at the source of the Trotuș and assimilated by now.” His choice of career was influenced by his grandfather, a master carpenter, whose example resonates in his professional ars poetics: “For me, architecture means creating order, as my grandfather used to say, and in that order, all the life experiences of our ancestors reside.” The other moment that fundamentally shaped his career was his meeting with Imre Makovecz.
Ernő Bogos graduated as an architect from the Ion Mincu Institute of Architecture in Bucharest, after the fall of the Ceaușescu regime. In the new political situation, as a newly graduated Hungarian citizen living abroad, he could apply for a government scholarship to study Hungarian in his field at a Hungarian university. It was at the Budapest University of Technology that he first heard about the Kós Károly Association’s “Vándoriskola” (lit. Travelling School), a graduate school of architecture with an organic approach founded by Imre Makovecz. He enrolled in the postgraduate program at the first opportunity, and during its five semesters, his mentors were, in order, Ferenc Salamin, Sándor Dévényi, Tibor Jankovics, Imre Makovecz, and Gábor Farkas. His thesis project was a family house in Solymár, but the defining experience of his “travelling” years was designing and then building Imre Makovecz’s Tripartite Altar in Șumuleu Ciuc as a co-architect. This commission is the most important piece of his work with his mentor, but it is also symbolic: the Pentecost Pilgrimage held here, at one of the most famous Catholic shrines, is now also a celebration of national unity. Ernő Bogos, as a young “traveller”, experienced the “drama of construction” that was so important for Imre Makovecz: after the design, he had to carry out the procurement of materials and construction of the altar beyond his depth, far from the master, in consultation with the client and the contractor.
The outdoor altar in the form of a triple hill, which blends into the landscape, was completed in 1997 on the saddle between the Great and Small Șumuleu Hills, and has since become the traditional site for the Pentecost Saturday mass celebrated in front of hundreds of thousands of people.
He also participated as a co-architect in the design and construction of the Millennium Church in Miercurea Ciuc (2001–2003). In addition, the master also involved him as a collaborator in numerous projects of varying scale: the expansion of the bishop’s palace and parish in Miercurea Ciuc (2008 – draft design); Cserr House in Sfântu Gheorghe (2010); and the Unitarian church in Vlăhița (2010 – draft design).
Immediately after graduating from the Travelling School, Ernő Bogos returned to his hometown, Miercurea Ciuc. Although many opportunities opened up for him in the motherland, an “inner force” and the example of Károly Kós called him home. He set up his own office, and most of his work is still related to his homeland, with commissions from local governments, the private sector, and churches. Following the example of the Travelling School, he is also involved in educating and raising awareness among the younger generation, regularly hosting Travellers.
His significant work of art and embodiment of the Makovec community-building idea is the Saint Ladislaus Memorial in his birthplace, Frumoasa (2012). At the request of the local government, the ruins of a 16th-century chapel were excavated. However, as little information was available for rebuilding the chapel, it was decided to preserve the ruins and to erect a sign—a belfry, to which people from the surrounding settlements could come on Saint Ladislaus’s Day to attend Holy Mass. The villagers worked voluntarily to clear the glade that houses the memorial site as part of a community project, and a wooden structure reminiscent of the old belfry in the village was built based on Ernő Bogos’ plans.
The funeral chapel, consecrated in 2011, is also located in his birth village. It was built next to the shared cemetery of the two village communities, Frumoasa and Nicolești. The architectural heritage of the area, the characteristics of the place and its hidden message, as well as the childhood experiences of the farewell, served as the starting point for the design. The new chapel stands on a virtual axis connecting the towers of the two churches of the two settlements, following the organic development of Frumoasa. At the end of the axis, marked by the existing central cemetery gate, a tripartite structure welcomes the mourners. A covered-open belfry provides access to the elliptical chapel, which is supported by a grass-covered mound containing the sacristy, service units, and cold storage. While the character of the mound recalls examples from Makovec, the belfry follows local traditions in proportion and structure, with its tiled roof of exposed timber with a characteristic tiled apex element concealing lamellar bell openings. From the reception building, glazed wooden doors lead into the centrally arranged funeral parlour. In addition to its universal meaning, the elliptical floor plan with its two focal points symbolises the unity of two separate communities. At the final farewell, the meeting of the two worlds is suggested by the corona of light from the windows that wrap around under the roof. Looking out of these side windows, the virtual axis can be discerned, revealing the towers of both churches. The use of materials in the building is characterised by stone cladding, plastered and whitewashed interior walls, and exposed timberwork. Beyond the design, the architect’s biggest task was to channel the relationship between the two communities, which is usually not frictionless anywhere in the world, to experience the construction and then the use of the chapel as a real community. In the decades of communism, it was precisely these natural threads within the community that were tried to be severed, and so an architectural gesture was needed to reconnect them, reconnecting them to the heritage of their ancestors. Not by inserting the building as a contrast into the existing natural environment, but by rooting it in a rich landscape of values.
The works presented so far clearly show that Ernő Bogos’ architecture is characterised by respect for local values and a modern language based on tradition. Whether it is a major ecclesiastical or small-scale private investment, he always adapts new needs and modern technologies to traditional structures.
In addition to his design work, he is also a major public figure. At the invitation of Imre Makovecz, he is a founding member of the Transylvanian Kós Károly Association for Country Building, which followed the Hungarian model, and has been its executive director since 2006. The association's members have repeatedly stated that the architectural profession and the political world must work closely together to save the rapidly deteriorating architectural and natural assets of Szeklerland. One of their most important initiatives is the Faluképvédelmi program (lit. Village Conservation Area Programme) launched by architects Ernő Bogos, Zsolt Tövissi, and Miklós Köllő. One of the defining elements of Szeklerland’s identity is its cultural heritage, including its built environment, which is shaped by the community’s specific history, social organisation, way of life, and the geographical and natural environment of its living space. With the gradual disintegration of the traditional peasant way of life, the first half of the 20th century saw a shift in how people viewed and practised building, and the role of the village community as a regulator of aesthetic values was lost. During the decades of communism, with the disintegration of small communities, development came to a standstill, and the condition of most buildings remained unchanged. Thus, in the 1970s and 1980s, the region’s villages were still rich in architectural heritage but in a state of disrepair and abandonment. At the beginning of the 21st century, however, Szeklerland is facing, perhaps for the first time in its history, social and economic changes on a scale that could cause irreversible damage and irreparable losses to its cultural heritage, which has developed organically up to now, because the integrity and quality of the landscape and the built environment are gradually being eclipsed. Recognising this, Gergely Rodics, the head of the Pogány-havas Kistérségi Társulás (lit. Pogány-havas Micro-region Association), began work in 2006 to steer the modernisation of the municipalities in a direction that respects their cultural heritage and creates the right conditions for tourism by improving their appearance. During the work, preliminary surveys were carried out in the municipalities of the Micro-region, the results of which were presented to the local communities by the participating experts in exhibitions, and their conclusions were recorded at a final conference, where the need was expressed to launch an architectural competition to find architectural solutions that would carry the essence of the Szekler houses. In 2008, the Harghita County Municipality asked the Kós Károly Association for Country Building to prepare the Village Conservation Area Programme at the county level, with the widest possible involvement of local architects, which resulted in the 2009 conference titled Székelyföld épített öröksége – Faluképvédelem – út a jövőbe (lit. Built Heritage of Szeklerland – Village Conservation Area Programme – Way to the Future). The conference participants formulated the Village Conservation Area Charter, which set the framework for the work ahead. The initiative was born out of the recognition that effective protection of village architecture and the national built heritage requires broad cooperation among architects, municipal and county governments, architectural and environmental authorities, economic actors, civil society, and the media. In addition to the general principles of heritage and the need for cooperation, the 55-point Charter makes recommendations on education (involvement of young people, training of restoration specialists, etc.), the use of materials (encouraging the use of traditional materials by builders and building material dealers, evaluation in public procurement, the involvement of social work, e.g. to provide shingles, etc.), local government (creation of value registers, setting an example, support schemes, etc.), the professions (setting up awards, presentation and awareness-raising, etc.), and the regulatory and official work. The successful village conservation area programme includes the announced sub-programme Mintaház (lit. Model House), the sub-programmes on the revitalisation of funeral homes, mansions, and village centres, and the preparation of a county strategy for heritage and monument conservation. Within the framework of the programme, 68 of 264 municipalities in Harghita County have completed their studies, and 35 of them have already been included in the renovated land-use plans of their municipalities. The final objective of the programme is to prepare local regulations that ensure long-term development, preserving local values, and maintaining local character. Commenting on his hopes for the future, Ernő Bogos confessed: “First and foremost, villages must regain their honour and dignity. Living in the countryside should be reevaluated as a lifestyle that represents a high quality of life. [...] Increasingly individualistic people must be taught the culture and techniques of cooperation. The message needs to be conveyed that the developed Western world has already recognised the usefulness and value of traditional rural ways of life. We need to make people in the countryside aware that they are not the last survivors of a vanishing world, unable or unwilling to escape from the sinking ship, but the harbingers of a future, livable world, creating the potential for humanity and life through their existence and their work.”
It is clear that regulation alone cannot create attitudes; only examples can. Ernő Bogos’s exemplary works, which are also important for the village landscape, include the renovation of József Nyírő’s birthplace and the adjacent building in Jimbor, the Armenian merchant’s house, and the monumental ensemble of the belfry and the Székely Gate in Frumoasa.
Architects are lucky if they have the opportunity to meet communities and shape a shared story with them. Ernő Bogos has returned to his homeland, where he is proving his worth not only through the buildings he designs but also through his community involvement. Following the guidance of his master, Imre Makovecz, his work focuses on the “drama of construction”: the impact that the design, construction, and use of a house has on the community. His buildings have a healing effect, with features that are integral to the life of settlements, landscapes, and communities. Ernő Bogos is a worthy disciple in all walks of life: a practising architect, a master of young aspiring architects, and his professional and public involvement is intense and ongoing. He is a founding member of the Kós Károly Association for Country Building in Transylvania and has been its executive director since 2006, and a member of the Architectural Section of the Hungarian Academy of Arts since 2013.
[Made: 2016]