Gyöngyössy Márton (szerk.): Perspectives on the Past. Major Excavations in County Pest (Szentendre, 2008)
(4500-2700 ВС) (2700/2500-800 ВС) ж ,___ 1. Obverse and reverse of a coin of the Emperor Charles 2. Pillars, buttresses and walls of the 14th-15th century chancel 3. Obverse and reverse of a coin of King Sigismund 4. Ignác Oracsek’s plan from 1750 5. Tombstone with a coat-of-arms erected over the burials of two burghers from the early 14th century The excavations revealed that the earlier, small church was completely rebuilt and enlarged sometime around the turn of the 14th/15th centuries, the heyday of Gothic architecture. The walls pierced by slender, ogival windows conforming to the period’s style were buttressed by outer pillars. The vaults over the chancel and the altar, the nave and the two side-naves rested on eight pillars arranged in two rows. A small southern side-chapel and a sacristy on the northern side of the chancel were added in the 15th century. The church remained in the use of the Christian community during the Ottoman period: the new tower built in 1669 collapsed two years later and was rebuilt after many hardships. From the 1680s, after the end of the Turkish dominion, the bishops moved out from the dilapidated castle and settled by the main square, celebrating mass in this church because the cathedral had been demolished by the Turks. The church’s state deteriorated and was continuously undergoing reparations during the next few decades, until a large-scale renovation was begun around 1750 based on the plans of Ignác Oracsek. The renovation work proceeded at a rather slow pace and the new bishop eventually halted the work around 1760 and ordered both the old and new parts to be demolished. A new cathedral was later erected on Konstantin Square. • • Zoltán Batizi and Sarolta Tettamanti
