Cathedral 1945 Photo Album

The "Cathedral 1945" Photo Album was first posted up in August 06, 2010 into Picasa and has been view by 10,146 viewers around the world since this public posting. Google has just announced the removal of all Picasa Images and Albums later in 2016. I therefore have now saved all images, image data, and paragraph texts as they were created many years earlier, I will now rebuild this same content as Word Document pages in the months ahead. This content will now be held on a private server and these Albums will linked from my website - "Szombathely March 4, 1945 Project".

I thank you for your interest in this history over these many years, and I will work as diligently as I can in the months going forward to insure that these images and history will be available 24/7 in the years ahead. I will also try correct any errors in descriptions that may have come to light since the original post-up dates in all of my albums. I may also try to improve the quality of all photographs by using a cleaner version of the same image from my expanded collection from six years ago. Texts should remain the same but if significant new information is now available, I will update those paragraphs as needed. The Author. (3-22-2016)

In the photograph above, you can see the second column with a small Pulpit at the left and the third column at the right. The Sanctuary is to the left. The debris pile, then sloping downward, would indicate that the roofing structure above had remained intact. This is confirmed by exterior photographs showing the missing of a roof structure above to the second and third column line.

The above image was taken from the Nave's left isle near the South wall looking westward into the Sanctuary. The center Isle lies to the right under the heavy roofing beams. This photograph was taken from about the first or second column of the south isle. The railing in the distance is at the top step leading into the Sanctuary. The remains of the "Gloria" above the window can be seen, and the wall area just below is now void of its magnificent painting by Maulbertsch.

The Sanctuary is to the left. The image was taken from an area near the South Transept where there is an entrance door to the outside. The view is looking across the Crossing to the two columns sharing one plinth on the North side of the Nave. Blast damage was from the forward bomb that landed in the area of the "Crossing" of the Nave. See the floor plan in my newest posting under The Final Chapter. Surviving Pews in the Chapel that remain to this date, are of the same design as are now seen broken in the Nave image above.

The above photograph has been often published in the Media over the years. Looking to the East we see the tops of the three Entry Doors. Just above, the Organ Loft, where the remains of the old organ case and its destroyed pipes hanging in disarray and the marble railing having been smashed into small pieces now has vanished.

The wall surrounding the single large window opening above shows a major crack and was displaced by 46cm /18 inches. The ledge just above the columns was totally destroyed.

The above photograph of the East Wall from the Floor of The Nave to the roof area above is rarely seen. A great pile of debris still remains but the debris pile is now much finer material than the heavy structural beams and bomb debris in the previous image. Workmen have removed the debris pile in the organ loft and railing above the East Entry Doors. If there were any structural items that were unstable or questionable above, it was immediately broken loose to avoid hitting the workmen or having them killed below.

In a rarely seen image of the roofing structure just forward of the Crossing, the remaining truss framing and roof lathing can now be seen, as all of the roof tiles that had remained have now been removed. The date of this image is unknown, but would have been much later than March 4, 1945.

A large section of the roofing and interior ceilings are now missing, and this allows for a view of the North Bell Tower from within the Cathedral. The Bell Tower was redefined using Photoshop.

Looking from the second floor of a building across the street. (Image often used by newspapers of the time to show the power of the bomb's explosion inside.)

The cracked Tympanum from an outside view. (Crack enhancement was made via Photoshop.)

The three Entry door openings were filled in quickly with boards for the prevention of theft and everyone's safety. An enlargement of the North Portico of these three Entries is shown above with the boards spaced out. (No plywood then.)

Mounds of debris were starting to form from the demolition going on in the ceiling and roof areas above the crossing. The "Gloria" above the high altar, although damaged, remains intact with the sun now shining on it through a hole in the roof and the frescoed ceiling area of the Sanctuary.

The Pulpit, badly damaged and burned remains and the Double Columns on their Plinths or bases at the left edge, are now void of their stucco and faux marble coatings. The core construction of brickwork remains ready for new plaster coatings and the final application of visual marble effects when the work was completed many years later. By 1947, there were still many columns, plinths and other surfaces without their stucco and Faux-Marble finishes at the time of the Rededication.

The above photograph was taken shortly after the bombing. Note the pot marks in the wall and columns probably caused by the most forward bomb's casing in the Nave. The Faux-Marble covering of the brick formed columns has been totally destroyed, and the effect of the "bomb's exploding pressure" is both downward and horizontal. The wall area above the entrance to the Sacristy (at left) also shows damage from the hot casing fragments of this same forward bomb. The Plinths (or bases) were all heavily damaged. The Pulpit, being smaller and offering less resistance to the pressure of the bomb's "blast force" survived intact, but some small ornamentation and the canopy fan are now missing.

A very early bomb photograph of the South wall of the sanctuary. Note the heavy timbers from the roofing and ceiling areas ill lying on the floor of the Crossing. The intensity of the bomb's blast peeled the Faux-Marble covering off of the brick columns behind the Pulpit. The rooms at the second level with three large windows (over the Vestry), held the original Archives at one time, which were later moved out of the cathedral after the bombing. Most of the cathedral records and history did survive, but there were some losses.

It was here that a woman sat who had entered the Cathedral and was waiting quietly in prayer, until she could visit and retrieve her wounded husband this day. She had remained after the service to pray for him, and to wait for her brother-in-law (a Priest assigned to the Cathedral), who was to help her with the discharge of her husband from the local hospital. She was found alive pinned under the rubble of broken pews, roofing beams, roof tiles and large quantity of ceiling debris from above. Her cries for help were heard by the first persons who had enter the cathedral. She survived with minor cuts and abrasions. The small pulpit was never rebuilt. Read the family "Memoir" of this very moment in 1945.

This photograph was taken some time later than the previous image above. The rubble on the ground being small probably indicates that the demolition of the ceiling area is now well underway as the large framing of the roof structure had now been completed. Blast lines on the plinths (bases) and columns reveal the brick core construction of the cathedral and the more central explosion of bombs in the Nave area. Small black holes in this and previous images, would have been from the bombs casing flying outward at the moment of explosion. Soft reflective lighting, probably an afternoon exposure or perhaps a cloudy day, allows for more detailed observation of the interior damage.

The photo was probably taken early in the demolition phase. There was only a small hole in the roofing tiles and now there is much daylight in the attic area. Ropes now hang for pulling up material and boards into the attic area for the creation of scaffolding to be used by the workmen. Note also the shrapnel and burn damage to the remaining surfaces. The Sanctuary Fresco is at the very top of this image with the damaged Gloria just below.

Ceiling over the Sanctuary and the Gloria.

Ceiling Damage

The above image in this album has been around for many years in my computer. It was taken well after the bombing and never used in publications as known to date here. To understand and to reveal its information now, I have rotated the image to place the perspective of this image in a proper axis aligned with the Nave of the cathedral at the left with its roof structure above. The ceiling Fresco at the Crossing is at the right.

Fragment and burn damage to the vault at the left, is quite noticeable and continues over to the crossing fresco's right side. The left side of the fresco being higher was protected by the arch at left, and fragments continued hitting the right side of the painting being lower. The bomb explosion most forward in the Nave, was probably the culprit, as its fragments and material flew out and away at the moment of detonation in all directions. This is also supported by the fragment damage in both of the Transept areas that remain today as "scars" from this very moment that were left visible, as a reminder of this moment in history so many years ago.

The image was then rotated, and placed on a black background. Also noticeable is sunlight reflecting on opposite corners of the crossing coming from the ceiling Windows high in the wall of the South Transept.

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Double Doors to the Sacristy have been totally destroyed.

The Entry Doors to the Sacristy in the south Transept have been blown off their hinges. In the foreground a broken PrieDieux rests in the sunlight streaming through the roof.

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and the Reconstruction begins!

Az 1945 évi március 4-i angolszász légitámadás alkalmából megrongálódott szombathelyi székesegyház sérüléseinek, valamint az okvetlenül szükséges helyreállitási munkálatok

MŰSZAKI LEIRÁSA.

A folyó évi március 4-én,vasárnap délben lezajlott légitámadás alkalmából a székesegyház 2-3 akna telitalálatot kapott. Az elsõ akna az épület tetõzetén robbant, míg a vele együtt, vagy közvetlenül utána hullók már a templom belsõ terében végezték el romboló munkájukat. Az okozott károkat az alábbi felsorolás részletezi:

1./ A tetõzet a hosszhajó dongaboltozata felett teljesen megsemisült és a kereszthajók, a szentély, valamint as oldalkápolnák felett is erõsen megrongálódott. A kár az egész épületre átszámitva

tetõszékben / ács-szerkezetek /	40%
lécezésben	60%
bádogosmunkában	100%
cserepezésben	100%

2./ A hosszhajó dongaboltozata, a szentély-kupola, a sekrestyék, valamint a Madonna kápolna feletti irattári és oratorium helységek öt csehsüveg boltozata teljesen elpusztult, a kereszthajó nagy kupolája, valamint a fõoltár feletti félkupola pedig oly erõsen megrongálódott, hogy részbeni lebontásuk okvetlenül szükséges. Elpusztult a kórust tartó három csehsüveg boltozat is.

3./ A fõhomlokzatot a légnyomás elõre nyomta, a fal megrepedezett, szobordiszei ledõltek. A homlokzatot lezáró tympanon elõredölése 46 cm. Lebontása okvetlenül szükséges.

4./ A tornyok falai megrepedeztek, a belsõ elválasztó falak és boltozatok részben leszakadtak, mindkét toronysisakot teljesen ujra kell bádogozni. A falak statikai vizsgálata folyamatban van.

5./ A templom belsõ terében az összes oltárok, butorok /padok, gyóntatószékek, orgona, stb/, falfestmények teljesen megsemmisültek, Maulbertsch és Dorffmaister oltárképei ronggyá tépve részben elõkerültek a romokból. A belsõ párkányzat a fõha- jóban teljesen elpusztult, a templom többi részében kb. 20% ra tehetõ a rongálódása.

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6./ A falak és oszlopok műmárvány boritása teljesen megsemmisült, az eredeti márvány épitményekben a kár kb. 50%-os.

7./ Az összes ajtók és kapuk elpusztultak az ablakok üvegezése ugyanugy, csupán az ablakszerkezeteknek 50 %-a maradt épségben.

Mindazon munkák melyek, szükségesek ahoz(sic.), hogy a székesegyház fennálló részei a téli idõjárás viszontagságaitól meg legyenek védve és további romlások ne következzenek be, a következõk:

1./ A tetõszerkezetet hordó, illetve lezáró falazatok helyreállitása, a hulló kövek eltávolitása, illetõleg megerõsitése, a toronyszerkezetek megrongált részeinek kijavitása és a tornyok ujból való bádogozása.

2./ A fõhomlokzatnak gondos felmérés utáni lebontása és ujra felépitése.

3./ A fõhajó feletti tetõszerkezet pótlása, az egész tetõzeten a lécezés helyreállitása és az egész tetõfelület kettõs cserépfedése.

4./ A templom belsõ terében a meglazult és lezuhanással fenyegetõ diszitmények eltávolitása. A megrongált ablakokon a helyreállitáshoz szükséges asztalos, lakatos és üveges munkák elvégzése, valamint a hiányzó ajtók részben végleges, részben ideiglenes pótlása.

5./ A kupolaboltozatok, a fõhajó dongaboltozatának és a csehsüvegboltozatoknak ujrafalazása, illetõleg kijavitása. Ezen 1.-5. pontok alatt felsorolt feltétlenül szükséges helyreállitási munkálatok elvégzése az érvényben lévõ munkabérek és anyagárak mellett elõreláthatóan 15-20 millió pengõbe fognak kerülni.

Szombathely, 1945. augusztus 20.

     ifj. Hell Géza

     A szombathelyi székesegyház helyreállitási munkálatainak ellenõrzõ szakértõje.

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This transcribed copy is from the original document now held by the Bishop’s Archives, Szombathely, Hu. I wish to thank the staff there, for their kind assistance and permission to photograph this item. (2008)

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As a result of the aerial bombardment and destruction of the Cathedral of Szombathely by the Allies on March 4, 1945, the following is a description of the most essential and immediate repairs needed:

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

On Sunday noon of March 4th. of the current year, the Cathedral suffered 2-3 complete hits by mortar shells: (500 lb. RDX Bombs). The first exploded on top of the roof, while the others, at the same time or shortly thereafter, have caused their destructive work on the interior of the church. The details of the resulting damage are itemized below.

1. The roof framing over the barrel-vault (Nave ceiling) above the main longitudinal Nave was complete destroyed, and the main altar (Sanctuary Altar), as well as the six side-Chapels also suffered substantial damage. The loss to the whole building is listed below in percentage terms:

Roof framing (wood trusses)	40%
(Roof) lathing	60%
Sheet metal work	100%
Roof tile work	100%

2. The main longitudinal Nave’s barrel vaulting, the Sanctuary cupola, the Sacristies, as well as the five Bohemian glass vaulting’s above the Archives and Oratory rooms above the Madonna Chapel were also completely destroyed. The great dome over the Transept (or Crossing), as well as the half-dome above the High Altar, was so extensively damaged that their partial demolition is absolutely essential. (the Gloria was heavily damaged but remained in place). The three Bohemian glass cap supports of the choir were also destroyed.

3. The main facade (East wall) was pushed forward by the blast, the wall cracked, the ornamental statues fell down. The crowning Tympanum moved forward approximately 46 cm. (about 18 inches). It definitely needs to be demolished.

4. The walls of the (bell) towers have cracked, the interior separation walls and vaulting were partially torn down. The metal roofing of both towers has to be replaced. The structural evaluation of the walls is (now) in progress.

5. In the interior of the church, all the altars, furniture (pews, confessionals, organ etc.) and the wall paintings were completely destroyed. Torn pieces of the Altar Paintings by Maulbertsch and Dorffmeister have been found in the rubble. (190+ pieces of the Maulbertsch Altar Painting were retrieved, carefully saved, and a partial restoration of this middle section of the painting has now been completed in Budapest and this “Restoration Story” will come to this website about March 4, 2017*). The interior Entablature (ceiling moldings) of the central Nave was completely destroyed. In the rest of the church the destruction can be put at about 20%.

6. The faux marble facings of the interior walls, columns, and bases were completely destroyed. The damage to the interior marble structures (railings, casings, trims and other features or furnishings) is about 50%.

7. All the doors and gates were destroyed, as well as the glazing of the windows. Only about 50% of the window frames remained intact.

The following work projects are needed in order to protect the remaining parts of the Cathedral from the adversities of the winter weather, and to prevent further damage or loss (by theft).

1. The renovation of the roof’s supporting and ending walls, the removal or reinforcement of the falling stonework, the restoration of the damaged portion of the towers, and the replacement of their sheet metal roofs.

2. The demolition and rebuilding of the main facade, after careful surveying.

3. The replacement of the roof structure above the main Nave, replacement of the roof lathing, and the double tiling of the complete roof.

4. The removal of the dangerously loosened decorations of the entire interior of the church. Completion of the needed carpentry, locksmith, and glazing work for the damaged windows, as well as the temporary or final replacement of the missing doors.

5. The rebuilding or repairing of the marble vaults, the cradle vaults over the longitudinal Nave, and the Bohemian glass caps.

The cost of the work on the five items listed above, taking into account current wages and materials, should be budgeted at approximately 15-20 million Pengő.

Szombathely, August 20, 1945

     ifj. Hell Géza

     By the Technical Inspector of the the renovation work at the Cathedral of Szombathely (Hungary)

English Translation by: Istvan Csejtey, A.I.A., Medford, Mass. USA

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*Attention: Translations are always welcomed, such as the photo pages above. If you can volunteer with English/Hungarian translations, please contact us at the following e-mail address: march4_1945project@earthlink.net Credits will always be given for your help. (The Author)