On the occasion of the International Day of Monuments and Sites 2024, the Hungarian National Committee of ICOMOS gave an Award for Exemplary Preservation of Monuments to the ROM Vándor project. At the award ceremony, Dr. Gábor Smaraglay, managing director, represented KÖZTI.
Conservation of the Kövesd church ruin and refurbishment of its immediate surroundings, at Aszófő was part of the ROM Vándor project of Market and its implementation was designed by our colleague, Kelemen Bálint. In addition to the renovation of the ruin, the worthy presentation of its aesthetic and historic values and the preservation of the natural harmony with its surroundings were the aim of the project.
The commendation for the award presented by the Hungarian National Committee of ICOMOS highlights, that medieval ruins of sacred buildings are perhaps the most endangered examples of our monuments, nevertheless they are often the only remains left from the onetime settlement structure of the Pannonian Basin. A few years ago, Market Építő Zrt. decided to launch a corporate social responsibility program to save these monuments. The aim of the ROM Vándor project is to protect, restore, and conserve church and monastery ruins that are typically located on the outskirts of smaller settlements and villages, as well as to renew their environment. During the restoration of the Aszófő-Kövesd church ruin, the research revealed that the 13th century church had been built on Roman remains. Not only the ruins were conserved, but their environment was also tidied up.
