Mentényi Klára szerk.: Műemlékvédelmi Szemle 2004. A Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Hivatal tájékoztatója (Budapest, 2004)

MŰHELY - Szabó Tekla: Az őraljaboldogfalvi falfestmények feltárása és korabeli másolataik

angel pushing the damned to Hell, the sufferings of Hell). From the wall field high above a fragmentary Deesis scene has already remained. The frescoes of the three decorated frames below the western gallery were painted in a third period: St. Elisabeth bathing the lepers, the death of St. Paul the Hermit and a third, unidentified scene with a haloed, bearded knight wearing ermine coat, a bishop and another fragmentary figure. The choirs frieze of apostles was made in a fourth period together with the female donátor figures below the western gallery. The church was followed with the interest of Hungarian experts from the beginning of monument protection. The first frescoes of the choir were discovered by Flóris Rómer sometimes before 1869. For the further investigation Ferenc Storno was sent there by the Archaelogical Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Stornos diaries and the pen and ink drawings made on their basis are preserved in the Storno Museum of Sopron. These are mainly architectural drawings, but they also represent the choirs apostles and certain details of the legend of the Holy Cross and the presentation of Mary in the temple. On 22nd July, 1870. after a great storm the roof of the church was destroyed and this way the layer of plaster in the northern side of the interior covering the frescoes fell down. The minister of the church turned for help to the Archaelogical Committee. In the autumn of 1872 Imre Steindl, leading architect of the neighbouring castle of Vajdahunyad was sent to Őraljaboldogfalvára to make a survey of the church's condition. His journey was documented by the manuscripts of the newly founded institution of monument protection, the MOB (National Committee of Monument Protection). His report helps a lot in the investigation of the frescoes. It is quite unusual, that a monumental picture of the Virgin in a red - now uncoloured - frame on the southern side of the church tower is mentioned only here. Having a look at the place of the episodes identified by Steindl (Entry into Jerusalem, Legend of the Holy Cross), it can be easily perceived that the investigation of the murals was continued on the northern wall, on its part next to the choir. Following Steindl's autumn survey investigation continued. The Minister of Religion and Education as early as the winter of 1873 approved the investigation and copying of the frescoes. The copies were made by Ottó Sztehlo, helper of Steidl. According to the archival correspondence in the October of 1873 seventy drawings were given to the Archive, which can be studied there even today. The 1905 inventory of the MOB's drawing collection, the so called Gerecze-list under the entry of Őralja-Boldogfalva listed up mainly the works of Ottó Sztehlo. Beside the architectural drawings of the church the list mentions the large size pencil drawings of the fresco-copies. The Sztehló-copies are documents of utmost importance. With their help almost the whole series of frescoes can be reconstructed with the exception of those covering the upper parts of the northern and southern sidewalls. Most probably these were destroyed by the 1870 storm, but the covering plaster layer has not yet been totally removed. By now only the contours of the scenes can be seen although the gestures of the figures, the pleats of the dresses, the ornaments and the details of the faces can clearly be traced - that