Pécs, Hungary I (4/6/2026)

Monday, April 6, 2026

Nepomuki Szent János/St John of Nepomuk
(1842, in Biedermeier style) is the patron saint
of those who travel by water; but now we travel
45 minutes by motorcoach to the city of Pécs for
the Historic Pécs included shore excursion

Roman Catholic Pécsi Bazilika/Basilica of Pécs
(11C, reconstructed 1882-1891, by Friedrich von Schmidt
in Neo-Romanesque style); these western towers
date from before 1064, having survived a great fire (KSS)

In the western courtyard are the original statues (1854,
by Mihály Bartalits) of the Wandering Apostles that once
graced the southern façade of the cathedral (KSS)

A close-up of a few of the weather-deteriorated
sandstone sculptures

Cathedral interior

St Mary's Chapel with paintings by Bertalan Székely

Detail of the walls of St Mary's Chapel

Relief (late 19C, by György Zala)
over the steps down to the crypt (KSS)

In the crypt, a bier is always ready to
hold a coffin for a funeral

Main altar in the crypt

Memorial to Nándor (Ferdinandus)
Dulánszky who was Bishop of Pécs 1877-1896

Memorial (2008, by Sándor Rétfalvi)
to Janus Pannonius, a celebrated Renaissance
humanist, poet, and Bishop of Pécs (KSS)

Stained glass window

Cathedral Chancel with double pulpits

Angster Organ (1877, manufactured in Pécs)

Six of the apostles and many saints on the ceiling
of the nave (the six others are over the chancel) (KSS)

Southern facade of the Cathedral of Pécs with the statues
(1962-1963, by Károly Antal) across the top of the wall;
note that the cathedral has four towers

Bronze gates (2000, by Sándor Rétfalvi)
at the southern entrance of the cathedral;
the relief above is Homage of Hungarian
Saints before the Virgin Mary, the
Patroness of Hungary (by György Kiss)

Püspöki palota/Bishop's Palace (1751-1770)

A statue (1983, by Imre Varga) of Franz Liszt
on the balcony of the Bishop's Palace,
commemorates the 1846 visit to Pécs of the
renowned Hungarian composer and pianist

Statue (1893, by György Kiss) of Ignác Szepesy,
doctor of philosophy and theology, and 
Bishop of Pécs who was the first to translate
the Bible into the Hungarian language

The next stop was Cella Septichora/Seven-apsed cell,
which is an archaeological site of unfinished
ancient Roman chapels or funerary buildings

But first, we passed a wall of light-transmitting
concrete blocks invented by Hungarian architect
Áron Losonczi in 2001; as strong as concrete but
embedded with optical fibers to allow light through...

...as seen on the opposite side of the wall; a goal is
to reduce the need for electrical lighting to save energy

The beginning of a two-story cella septichora with
two niches or apses shown, dating to 4C CE

Hey, it is another group from Viking

Constructed from local limestone and sandstone
blocks laid in mortared rubblework (KSS)

Artifacts found at the archaeological site

A view down on the unfinished cella septichora to see
more of the seven apses

Burial Chamber XIX

Burial Chamber V is octagonal

Barrel vault of the Peter & Paul Chamber;
the chamber was supposed to have a fresco of the
Virgin Mary, but we were not taken inside 

Burial Chamber IV

Statue (1979, by Jenő Kerényi)
of Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka is based
on a self-portrait by the painter considered
to be the best from Hungary, although he
used a mirror and made himself left-handed;
the statue is a replica of the 1961 version
by Jenő Kerényi for the artist's grave

A structure for love locks

Apparently Pécs is where the tradition of love locks began
in 1971, a symbol of eternal love, with couples embracing the
custom to signify their enduring commitment to one another (KSS)

Love locks detail (KSS)

Cseh Palota/Czech Palace entrance (1920s) (KSS)

Bust (1958, by György Baksa Soós)
of Leonardo da Vinci

Gyertyaszentelő Boldogasszony Templom/Church of
Our Lady of Candlemas (1543-1546 as Gázi Kászim Dzsámi/
Gazi Qasim Mosque, converted to a church in 1702)

Next: More Pécs.