Matits Ferenc: Protestant Churches - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2003)

■ igth century repraentation of the church

József Hild (1789—1867) was commissioned to make designs for the improvement of the church's acoustics. The baldachin-style crown of his semi-circular marble pulpit structure is supported by a pair of columns on either side. Made by the Vienna-based master Jakab Deutschmann and ceremonially handed over to the congregation in 1829, the ornamental organ on the gallery above the entrance is a listed monument.

With the conclusion of the prolonged construction period, the first service in the church was held on 8 June 1830. Eight years after its consecration, the church was in serious danger. On the night of 15 March 1838, drift-ice on the Danube piled up and the city was inundated by an icy flood from the south. The building of the church house soon caved in. Luckily, the walls of the church, which was teeming with people fleeing the flood, held out even though the crypt was filled with water. When the flood subsided, Palatine Joseph had the remains of Duchess Hermina exhumed to have the body of his dearly loved wife reinterred in Buda Castle.

In 1848, József Hild was commissioned with drawing up designs for a new portico. His design accentuated the entrance with a gabled entablature supported by a set of smooth-stalked Corinthian columns. Designs for the side galleries resting on Doric columns were also made by Hild, this time in 1854. Expenses were covered from the estate of Count Manó Zichy’s deceased wife. There are three stained-glass windows on each of the longitudinal walls of the church.

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