Mentényi Klára szerk.: Műemlékvédelmi Szemle 2004. A Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Hivatal tájékoztatója (Budapest, 2004)

KIÁLLÍTÁS - Simon Anna: Esztergom új kőtári kiállítása

time for preparation. The majority of the lapidary's material (approximately 25-28 times more than the pieces shown!) is now preserved in deposits waiting for restoration and research. A smaller part remained in the former permanent exhibition or was put into the local historical display of the northern, so called "small Romanesque" palace. A few more can be found in Balassa Museum, Esztergom and the Budapest exhibitions of the Hungarian National Gallery and Hungarian National Museum. The first results are really worth attention. Although perhaps not really seemingly interesting for the public, still this exhibition is important for the experts showing that the museum responsible for one of the most precious group of carvings in the country finally has begun the scientific research of its material. Esztergom used to be the most important centre in the first centuries of the Hungarian Kingdom with a princely, later royal and archiépiscopal seat. From among its several medieval buildings the fortifications and a part of the palace have important remains. The importance of the Esztergom lapidary is that the carvings themselves are the most important sources of the totally destroyed buildings. The collection was formed parallel with the ruining of the Castle Hill and its archaeological excavation. The majority of the material originates from the excavations started in 1934. The first lapidary was opened in 1938 and deposits were founded at the same time. The scientific work was started by Dezső Várnai, leading the works in the thirties. Following World War II archaeological excavations continued as a result of which the lapidary should be removed several times together with the new finds so the mixing and loosing of the material has started. In the sixties provisory barracks and a cover was built in the Lipót terrace where the carvings were stored heaped up, partly in the open air, without inventory numbers till 2002. The extension of the museum was an everyday question. In 1983, when a new display of local history was opened it was partly extended but could show only a few (about 130 pices) of the medieval carvings. Art historical research was taken back by the situation of museums in the last thirty years together with forming a basis of reconstruction work starting in the nineties. In the course of rebuilding 320 m

2 space for new exhibitions and 750 m

2 space for deposits was formed. The opening took place on 15

th of August 2000. The lapidary planned to open at the same time - not intended to go together with the storing and research of the whole material - was stopped by an initiation of experts organized by Edit Szentesi (art historian, Art History Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences). The participants of the meeting held on 15

th January, 2000 in Esztergomban offered their cooperation in the research work which was finally not needed by the Museum. The leaders of the working groups would have been Zsolt Mráv, Sándor Tóth, Imre Takács, Gergely Búzás, György Szekér, Péter Farbaky, Árpád Mikó, Pál Lővei, Károly Magyar, Beatrix Romhányi. Instead of them Gergely Búzás was asked by the museum in the winter of 2002 to coordinate the tasks. The majority of the carvings was transported from the Lipót terrace to the deposits of the barracks, a smaller part got to new exterior deposits, (illustration 11.) Between March and November the work of making inventory,