Haris Andrea szerk.: Koldulórendi építészet a középkori Magyarországon Tanulmányok (Művészettörténet - műemlékvédelem 7. Országos Műemlékvédelmi Hivatal,)

Buzás Gergely: A paksi ferences kolostor kérdése

The Franciscan Monastery at Paks Gergely Búzás In 1986-1987, during the course of the demolition of the Bezerédj Elementary School of Paks, which was housed in the Classicist building formerly known as the Kornis Mansion, some mediaeval carved stones were uncovered. It was then discovered that the mansion, which was built during the first half of the 19th century, incorporated an older stone building. The stone carvings were rescued by Barnabás Bence, a teacher by profession, and the archaeologist Tászló Gere. A part of the stone carvings originate from the second, Early Gothic Cathedral of Kalocsa; the rest, however, is different, both in material and in style; these were made of soft limestone in Late Gothic style. The latter group consists of 39 carvings and several ashlars. The fragments include a frieze with blind tracery, a cornice with crockets and a pierced gable, a part of a string course, an amortizement, a pinnacle, capitals and fragments of four different types of traceried windows with moulded jambs. One type of the windows was in a room of polygonal ending, in the inner corner of which stood a pilaster with moulded capital. The further surviving pieces include a few ribs of a lierne or stellar vault and the fragments of a junction of ribs together with a cornercorbel supporting a groin vault. From a stylistic point of view, the carvings are closely associated with the lowest level of the north tower of the Viennese Stephanskirche, which was built between 1450 and 1491. Regarding their period and style, the Late Gothic carvings of Paks are homogeneous; as to their architectural quality, they surpass that encountered in an average market town. Judging from their character, they might have formed part of a church or a monastery. Their origin can be determined with the help of the finds coming from Kalocsa: according to Mátyás Bél, the stones of the Cathedral of Kalocsa were taken to Paks by the Turks who wanted to build a fortress there. It is rather unlikely that the Late Gothic pieces also came from Kalocsa, as that town had lost its significance by the end of the 15th century; the Archbishops of Kalocsa moved to Bács, and there are no traces of any great construction work in the subsequent period. However, the Turkish traveller Evlia Cselebi noted down in 1663 that he saw a monastery converted into a mosque inside the castle of Paks. Our carvings most probably originate from that monastery. After the Turkish withdrawal, the castle and the monastery were demolished, and the stones were used to build houses in the neighbourhood. The monastery mentioned by Cselebi is identified as the Observant Franciscan Monastery of Paks. The date of the foundation is not known; it is first mentioned in 1491, when the General Chapter of the order was held within its walls. The monks left the building in 1526 to flee from the Turks and never to return. The stone carvings possibly originated from the great reconstruction of the monastery at the end of the 15th century. The precise date of this reconstruction could be guessed from the history of the Paksy family who held the right of