A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 3. (Szeged, 2000)

PÁL László: A bambergi Szent István lovasszobor másolatának restaurálása

LÁSZLÓ PÁL THE RESTORATION OF THE COPY OF THE HORSEMAN STATUE OF SAINT STEPHEN IN BAMBERG The horseman statue which can be seen in the Cathedral of Bamberg represents a work of art that has been discussed many times. It was made between 1230 and 1240 by an unknown German artist. There have been attempts to identify an elite figure from German history in the figure of the young king. The first written description about the cathedral from 1729 identifies the statue as Saint Stephen. King Stephen, who founded Hungary, and Henry II, who built the cathedral, were brothers-in-law, and, despite their geographical separation, there was a strong bond between the chapter of Bamberg and the Hungarian Royal House. Kuno Klebelsberg, the Minister of Culture, was guided by patriotic feelings when, at the beginning of the 1930s, he had a copy made of the life-size statue and gave it to his favourite city, Szeged. The fate of the statue is adventurous. The Franciscan Order received it and the statue stood in their church until 1948. During the 1950s it was moved to the attic of the university after which its existence was forgotten. In 1988, it was transported to the historical department of the museum in a very fragile and damaged condition. The copy of the sculpture, which is thought to be of our first king, received its final place in the great vaulted hall of the Museum of Szeged.