Kovács Petronella (szerk.): Isis - Erdélyi magyar restaurátor füzetek 15. (Székelyudvarhely, 2015)
Mester Éva: Az egyszerű geometrikus elosztású ablakok védelme és megőrzésük fontossága
These ones formed and interpreted the inner spaces, using the possibilities given by the iconography as well. At the beginning in the sacred buildings with gloomy atmosphere often the colour light was the only decoration. Later in the inner places, which became more and more ornate, the stained windows were not required any more, so mainly colourless windows with geometric subdivision were used instead. Through them the natural light could be diffused in the inner spaces without any manipulation. People of the 19th century who turned to the past created the new style called eclecticism which preferred rich decoration. This new attitude brought back colourful glass windows into the buildings. Recently an adverse tendency can be noticed, sacred buildings are often deprived of decoration, even of their stained glass windows. The plain, white walls and the stray light are thought to be helpful for meditation and engrossment. More than 400 years ago a similar change of approach happened already. The reform religions refused the luxury in the buildings. The old, carved, gilded altarpieces, paintings were removed from the churches; the frescoes on the walls were overpainted with lime. The glass windows were simple, with geometric subdivision, mostly with honeycomb, rectangle or plate glass pattem. These windows often survived several centuries owing to the durability of the metal cames which held the glass pieces together. In Transylvania there are several examples of this kind of old windows still saved in Calvinist, Lutheran and Unitarian churches. Nowadays this heritage is in severe danger. In the course of church reconstructions the window panels are often taken out of their frame and are kept in hidden areas of the building where they are covered with dust and get slowly deteriorated because of the improper storage conditions. In worst cases they get destroyed completely, so important witnesses of our material culture will be lost. The circumstances of the manufacture of these kinds of windows, the specific forms of deterioration on them and the way of their conservation haven’t been discussed in the special literature so far. There is a need of competent technician experts and well prepared conservators, so that besides keeping the original technical characteristics and materials, meeting the safety and thermal insulation requirements, the aesthetic value of the artefacts can be restored as well. This study gives proposal for the saving and maintenance of the glass windows with simple geometric subdivision still preserved in the Carpathian basin. Traslated by: Márta Kissné Bendefy 108
