Az aracsi templom pusztulástörténete és műemlékvédelme
The history of the destruction and monument protection of the Aracs church

Author(s): Endre Raffay
Subject(s): Museology & Heritage Studies, Architecture, History of Art
Published by: Pécsi Tudományegyetem Művészeti Kar Művészettörténet Tanszék
Summary/Abstract: The study examines the destruction history and monument preservation of the medieval church ruins of Arača, located in the Banat region of present-day Serbia. The church was originally built in the first third of the thirteenth century as a three-aisled basilica with three apses and an eastern tower. Architectural and sculptural details indicate that the monument belongs to the transitional period between late Romanesque and early Gothic art in medieval Hungary. Archaeological evidence suggests that an earlier, probably eleventh-century church once stood on the same site. The building survived the Mongol invasion and later conflicts, but it suffered devastating destruction during the Ottoman attacks of the sixteenth century, most likely in 1551. After the fire and collapse of the vaults and roofs, the abandoned church gradually deteriorated further because of weather damage and the systematic removal of its stones and bricks for reuse. The article discusses nineteenth-century scholarly interest in the ruins, especially the work of Imre Henszlmann and Péter Gerecze, who recognized the monument’s exceptional artistic and historical value. Several restoration concepts were proposed over time, ranging from complete reconstruction to partial rebuilding, but most of these plans were never realized. Major conservation works carried out in the 1970s stabilized the remaining structures and introduced limited reconstructions, although the author criticizes some of these interventions for lacking historical authenticity. The study concludes that the ruins should be preserved primarily as authentic historical remains, with conservation efforts focusing on protection and careful restoration rather than speculative reconstruction.

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