Mosque of Pasha Qasim

Pécs, Hungary

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 1543 and 1546. The mosque was converted into a church in 1702, after the Habsburg-Hungarian troops liberated the city. The minaret was brought down by the Jesuits in 1766. It is still one of the largest Turkish buildings that remains in Hungary. It harbours the characteristics of Turkish architecture.

Standing at the highest point of Pécs's Széchenyi square, the mosque of pasha Qasim is the greatest example of Turkish architecture in Hungary. It was probably built in the second half of the 16th century. In the 1660s Evliya Çelebi, the famous Turkish traveller wrote of the overwhelming majesty of its view. A number of changes had been made on the building between the 18th and the 20th centuries. Its minaret was ultimately taken down but had been previously enlarged. Only the main square part remained of the original structure: the octagon drum, covered by a dome. There are arc windows in two rows on the façade of its south-eastern, south western and north-eastern part; 3-3 and 4-4 pieces. Inside the church, in the remaining plaster parts the Turkish decoration and inscriptions of the Qur'an are clearly visible. The Turkish pulpit and the women's balcony were destroyed and the mihrab is not the original either. The two Turkish bathing basins before the sacristies are taken from the former bath of the pasha next to the church. Today, the building functions as a Catholic church.

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Details

Founded: 1543-1546
Category: Religious sites in Hungary

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4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Devidyal Givens (15 months ago)
History teacher here, for those of you who don't know, I'll give you a quick, quick lesson. This region of Hungary was Christian since, well, a long, long time, then in the mid 1500s it was conquered by the Ottomans (who were Muslim) then in the early 1700s it was re-conquered by Christians. Pasha Qasim the Victorious of the Ottomans built this mosque between 1543-1546. Then, when the Ottomans were conquered by the Hapsburgs who were Christian they converted the mosque into a Christian church. Sadly, the Jesuits destroyed the minaret in 1766. This mosque is one of the largest Ottoman constructions left in Hungary. I appreciate how the left at least some of the old Arabic writing and Islamic artistic style on the walls. And be sure to see the incredibly hokey tribute to the crusades mural on the second floor. I stood there mesmerized by it. I know my grandma would have loved it all the way down to the weeping Muslim and the triumphant crusader. It's so funny to me how history is remembered to people. The massacre of millions is celebrated by a pretty painting with a cute little rainbow in a house of worship? That's just the kind of stuff I will never understand about religion. It was an amazing visit though. Highly recommended. Must see in Pecs.
Baraa Alhaj Yusef (16 months ago)
Went on Sunday it closed at 12 pm, spiritual atmosphere.
Vid Pogačnik (2 years ago)
Magnificent shrine with rich history. The visit of splendid interior is supported also with a well done multimedia presentation.
Joe Macpherson (2 years ago)
Nice enough. I bought the combo ticket with the cathedral. Very interesting architecture outside and inside is a mosque/church hybrid. Not much information available inside unfortunately
Laura Finch (2 years ago)
I have been to the Mosque more than 3 times now, and I still find it interesting how it transformed over the years. There is an interactive room where history-lovers can check out pictures of the restorations, floor plans, 3D reconstructions and a video about the history of the mosque.
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