Roman Catholic church of St Emeric (Szent Imre), Badacsonytomaj

A notable feature of this town is the basalt-stone church dedicated to Prince St Emeric. Even the vaults of this huge neo-Romanesque sanctuary are made from basalt.

There is an economic secret behind the special building material. The original churches of the town were destroyed in the Turkish period when the settlement was depopulated and returning inhabitants erected a Baroque church with one tower between 1757 and 1760. Later, a basalt mining company started to operate in 1903-05. Near the church they constructed a cableway which, together with explosions in the quarry, caused considerable structural damage to the old church.

Bazalt Bánya Rt. (Basalt Mining Co.), as a compensation for the damage, contributed the raw material for the new neo-Romanesque church built in 1930-32. This structure unique on the continent has twin towers 33 metres in height and its cupola is decorated with sgraffito. The apse's mosaic windows depict scenes from the life of the patron saint, son of St Stephen the first king of Hungary.

The monumental panel paintings on view in the apse are works by renowned artist Erzsébet Udvardi who created them using an innovative oil-collage technique. The central painting is the Lord's Supper, on the left the Night of Gethsemane, on the right the Resurrection. In the small chapel worshippers are presented with a triptych by the same artist.

Can be visited upon prior arrangement.