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.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Hungary

User Reviews

Miha Vardijan (18 months ago)
Very nice religious landmark. I definitely recommend taking a look inside as well.

Uršula Ambrušová (21 months ago)
Mosque of Pasha Qasim Pécs. Very nice ;)

Abdullah Çetinkaya (2 years ago)
Wonderful building in the center of the pecs, its the example of how pecs is rich in history. I didnt have chance to go inside because it was close by the time I was there but from outside it reminds the old ottoman era mosques. Biggest standing ottoman era monument in hungary

Melody Smith (2 years ago)
Really well restored but now used as a church, museum, community meeting space.

Jan Tatoušek (2 years ago)
Wonderful building with a rich history. Inside, the Ottoman influence is less evident than on the outside. I would not present it as a mosque in its current appearance. Visitors may have false expectations. I agree with other reviewers that the entrance fee is too high for Hungarian standards, especially because this is a church and not a theme park or anything like that.

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