“Here is Hungarian Rome!” historical walk – route 2

“Here is the Hungarian Rome!” (Mihály Babits)
The story of St. Thomas (Becket) Hill, Claudio Monteverdi in Esztergom

Every Saturday from 14.00 in Hungarian
Minimum number of participants: 8 persons
Pre-registration required!

(Upon request, the walk can be held in English, French and German as well at the time that suits your visit. Ask for an offer in case you are interesed!)

Meeting – itinerary:

The walk will start from the corner of the Cathedral Library, in front of the Cathedralis Tours Travel Agency (corner of Péter Pázmány Street and Ferenc Liszt Street).

Passing through a district of the town called Little Leva at the beginning of the 19th century, we reach the staircase leading to the St. Thomas Calvary. (The Way of the Cross is reduced from 14 to 7 stations and is enclosed in neoclassical buildings, the reliefs of which were created in the 1830s by the Viennese sculptor Andreas Schrott. The chapel-like structures of the Calvary house the 18th-century wooden statues of the Flagellation of the Christ and the Lamentation of Christ, which once stood in the wall niches between the ruins of the medieval main church on the Castle Hill. ) The chapel on the top of the hill, consecrated in 1823, was erected by Bishop János Benyovszky in memory of the heroes who fell for Esztergom (the group of statues of the Calvary scene in front of it was erected by Canon Márton Görgey in the ruins of the former main church on the hill. It was made in 1781 by the Austrian sculptor József Hebenstreit. ) From the chapel’s entrance hall, we can see the castle hill ensemble, the Water Town, the Royal Town and the wider area, which has been declared a national and European heritage site.

The personal relationship between the archbishops Thomas Becket of Canterbury and Luke Banfi of Esztergom at the end of the 12th century stands at the origin of the name of this district. How did the veneration of the English martyr archbishop come to Esztergom? Let us explain. The place played an important role during the Turkish period (1541-1685.) You shall hear the story of “Tepedelen parkani”, the Turkish “Fortress of the Headhole”. Claudio Monteverdi, the creator of Italian Baroque opera also spent some time in Esztergom. The Italian composer stayed here from July to September 1595 when the Christian armies recaptured Esztergom. On the 3rd of September, at a victory feast held among the ruins of the fortress, the premiere of Monteverdi’s early Baroque opera Vespro (viola da gamba), performed by Vincenzo Gonzaga in the orchestra of the Prince of Mantua, took place here. We walk up to St Stephen’s Steps on the plateau of St Thomas’ Hill. The steep serpentine staircase at the southern end of the hill leading to the royal city was built in 1938 to commemorate the 950th anniversary of the death of King Stephen (on the terrace of the upper third of the staircase you can see a huge 15 m2 relief of the coronation of Stephen in Esztergom by sculptor Antal Károly).

Duration of the walk: 1.5 – 2 hours.

Participation fee: 2 000 HUF / person for guiding in Hungarian (free for children under 6 years).

For guiding in English, French or German, please request an offer on our contacts details!

Information – registration: in person at the address below, by phone (33) 520-260, 70 391-9992, cathedralisegom@gmail.com, koditek.pal@gmail.com or on our Facebook page.

H-2500 Esztergom, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky E. u. 26.

E-mail: cathedralisegom@gmail.com.

Ministry of Economy registration number: R-1400/1996/2001