Gáti Csilla (szerk.): A Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 54., 2016-2017 (Pécs, 2017)
RÉGÉSZET - Buzás Gergely: A szászvári vár régészeti kutatása
A szászvári vár régészeti kutatása 401 Archaeological investigations on the Castle of Szászvár Gergely Buzás ?e settlement of Szász at the northern foot of the Mecsek Mountains used to lie in the centre of an important group of estates in the medieval Pécs bishopric. Based on the results of several archaeological researches (excavations, expert inspections) carried on since 1980, the construction phases of the Szászvár Castle have been revealed. Probably in the 1370’s, Bálint Alsáni, bishop of Pécs (1374–1408) had a manor house as well as a chapel devoted to St. John the Baptist next to it built on the outskirts of the village founded by German settlers in the Árpád era. ?e fairground was developed next to the manor house and the chapel, and it became the new centre of the settlement which was awarded the rank of a market town. ?e manor house was a two-storey building with a basement and a staircase tower. Its western facade was decorated with elaborated stone carvings, and it had two rooms on each floor (first construction period). Somewhat later, a garden surrounded by a wall was established behind the manor house (second construction period). During the civil-war period around 1387, Bálint Alsáni converted his manor house into a palace (third construction period): the garden was converted into an interior courtyard, and was fortified with a second wall and a gate tower, while he had the staircase tower of the palace converted into a chapel tower and had a new staircase tower with a drawbridge-gate built instead. Later on, a kitchen was built on the other side of the yard into the Zwinger (fourth construction period). In the 1410s, Bishop János Albeni (1410–1421) had a multi-storey wing built on the northern side of the inner courtyard, decorated with a tiled stove (fi?h construction period). During the 15th century, the building, first called a castle in 1439, was fortified in three stages with exterior walls and a circular tower. At the end of the 15th century Bishop Zsigmond Ernusz (1473–1505) had the eastern palace wing of the inner castle built, which was already decorated with Renaissance stone carvings (sixth construction period). During the reconstruction, the old gatehouse was converted into a keep and a new gate was opened on the southern wall of the inner castle. A well was dug on the elevated courtyard of the castle. In the first half of the 16th century, an external wall system with eight new towers was built around the castle instead of the demolished old one (seventh construction period). ?e castle was captured by the Turks in 1543, making it the seat of a nahije . A?er the occupation of Szigetvár (1566), Szászvár lost its military significance
