Top Historic Sights in Pécs, Hungary
Explore the historic highlights of Pécs
Mosque of Pasha Qasim
The Downtown Candlemas Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, formerly known as the Mosque of Pasha Qasim is a Roman Catholic church in Pécs. It was a mosque in the 16-17th century due to the Ottoman conquest. It is one of the symbols of the city, located in the downtown, on the Széchenyi square. The current building, hundred steps both its length and its width, was built by Pasha Qasim the Victorious between 15 ...Bishop’s Palace
King St. Stephen established a bishopric of Pécs in 1009. The origins of the Bishop"s Palace reach back to the 12th century. First it was inhabited by the French Bishop Bonipert and later on by the Hungarian Bishop Mor. Just like the cathedral, the palace is a piece of stylistic history. The Gothic windows and Roman layout are hidden by the Neo-Renaissance facade. Preserved in the smokery is the wooden tobacco ...Early Christian Necropolis
In the 4th century, a remarkable series of decorated tombs were constructed in the cemetery of the Roman provincial town of Sopianae (modern Pécs). These are important both structurally and architecturally, since they were built as underground burial chambers with memorial chapels above the ground. The tombs are important also in artistic terms, since they are richly decorated with murals of outstanding quality dep ...Pécs Cathedral
Pécs Cathedral has been a prominent feature of this Hungarian cityscape for centuries. In 1064, after a fire destroyed a Romanesque basilica, the King of Hungary, Peter Orseolo, initiated construction of Pécs Cathedral where the old church had stood. Completed in the twelfth century, it features Romanesque stone carvings of exceptional artistic value. In the 16th century, Turkish conquerors converted it into ...Barbican
The Barbican, the 15th century bastion with a circular floor plan used to belong to the wall system of the Bishop"s Castle. Its construction is linked to the visit of General Pál Kinizsi, who came to the town in 1498. In the shadow of the Turkish threat the defence systems of castles and towns were strengthened all around the South. The Gothic-style gate tower was built in the 15th century at the western corne ...Jakováli Hasszán Mosque
The mosque of Jakováli Hasszán pasa, which is the most intact Turkish mosque in Hungary, dates from the 16th century. It houses an exhibition of Turkish historical and artistic objects, and at the same time it is a muslim place of worship.All Saints Church
All Saints Church is surrounded by a castle-wall-type barrier - by the wall of the former cemetery. The residents of the valley of the Tettye river built a one-navy church here as early as the 13th century. The originally Romanesque style All Saints Church was reconstructed in the 15th century in Gothic style. The exterior is simple, while a short tower stands on the triangular pediment of the main façade. The inte ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
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Riddarholmen Church
The Riddarholmen Church (Riddarholmskyrkan) is the burial church of the Swedish monarchs. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from Gustavus Adolphus (d. 1632 AD) to Gustaf V (d. 1950) are entombed here (with exceptions such as Queen Christina who is buried within St. Peter's Basilica in Rome), as well as the earlier monarchs Magnus III (d. 1290) and Charles VIII (d. 1470).
Riddarholmen church is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm, parts of it dating to the late 13th century, when it was built as a greyfriars monastery. After the Protestant Reformation, the monastery was closed and the building transformed into a Protestant church. A spire designed by Willem Boy was added during the reign of John III, but it was destroyed by a strike of lightning on July 28, 1835 after which it was replaced with the present cast iron spire.
Coats of arms of knights of the Order of the Seraphim are in the walls of the church. When a knight of the Order dies, his coat of arms is hung in the church and when the funeral takes place the church bells are rung constantly from 12:00 to 13:00.