Kőbánya Synagogue, Budapest

The Temple of Everybody, formerly known as the Kőbánya Synagogue, is a church located in Kőbánya in the 10th District of Budapest, which houses the ecumenical, neoprotestant Church of Everyone Church. Until 1964, it operated as a Synagogue.

History edit

The Art Nouveau-style building was designed by the Jewish community of Kőbánya in 1907 and built between 1909 and 1912 under the direction of architect Antal Sorg. At that time, the building stood out as one of the single storey houses.

Next to the neolog synagogue is the rabbi building. The community also operated a Jewish private school, a charity for social purposes, a retirement home, and a folk kitchen for a hundred people. The roof burned down in 1920, but it was completely rebuilt that year. The synagogue was owned by the local Jewish community until 1964, when it was sold. It used to be a museum, later a theater, and then used as a warehouse for MTV. The building was declared protected in 1974, but by the 1980s its condition had deteriorated considerably.

The synagogue and its associated buildings were purchased in 1989 by the Gospel Pentecostal Church of Zion (later renamed Everyone's Temple Church) and the People-Friendly Foundation. It was renovated through donations and volunteering, and was inaugurated in April 1991. Since then, the synagogue has housed religious and other cultural events in the Temple Church of All, while the former synagogue-related building houses the Human-Friendly Foundation's Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Institute.

Description edit

The interior of the centrally located synagogue is octagonal, 22.15 m in diameter with a smooth dome overhanging the walls at four points. Six cast-iron pillars hold the enclosed vault enclosed by a barrel vault.

The building has a hall of worship, foyers, warehouses, and a separate hall for the rabbi and cantor. The building and the fence are covered with Quartz stones carved from hard Limestone. In many places we can see Zsolnay pyrogranite elements. In the corners of the eastern façade are small towers. In the center of the flat-arched dome, a lantern surrounded by a balcony rises 32 m high. It has colored, geometric stained glass windows. In the rose window you can see a Star of David, which indicates the original function. The main facade once had two stone slabs on its pediment, typical of synagogue buildings, but these have been removed to this day. Connected to its north side is a two-story courtyard building that used to serve as a community headquarters and residential building, and today cares for alcohol and drug patients.