Agria 38. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2002)

Fodor László: Régészeti ásatások szerepe a várkultuszban

The first tentative archaeological investigations were made by Imre Henszlmann in 1862, the results of which were published in a number of articles written by Arnold Ipolyi. The arrival of István Dobó

's tomb and its official unveiling by Archbishop János László Pyrker in 1833 marked the beginning of the castle cult surrounding the 1552 siege. Another major contribution to the growth of the cult was made by Lieutenant János Balogh, who, whilst serving at the castle, embarked on his studies of those parts of the castle which were of strictly military interest with a romantic enthusiasm. He concentrated mainly on the subterranean tunnel system. His book entitled "Egervár története" (The History of Eger Castle) was one of the first comprehensive works on the subject. Using his military knowledge Balogh was able to restore a falconet-type cannon he had found in one of the cannon chambers to full working order. The four shots fired from the cannon to all four points of the compass he did in honour of the castle and István Dobó. During the summer of 1925 a new archaeological initiative was started in the town involving local teachers, ecclesiastical personages, officials, students, soldiers and workers. It amounted to the first major archaeological investigation to be carried out at the castle. The driving force behind the archaeological dig and the accompanying research work was Vidor Pataki, a teacher at the Cistercian Grammar School. János Lénáit, a teacher at the School of Trade in Eger, and Ervin Pálosi, another grammar school teacher, also played important roles, particularly in the organisational sphere. As well as those mentioned above The Eger Castle Excavation Committee, which was founded at Ervin Pálosi's instigation in 1926, included architect Sándor Hevesi and Sándor Ignácz, who, having helped in soil removing operations later became a supervisor. Work resumed in 1956 after a long break following the Second World War. The research and restoration work was now supervised by the Országos Műemlékvédelmi Felügyelőség /OMF/ (The National Inspectorate for the Conservation of Ancient Monuments). The archaeological work was led first by Károly Galván, and later by Károly Kozák. The planning work was carried out initially by Mihály Détshy, and later by János Sedlmayr and Klára Nándori (OMF). In the early years they worked on the Gothic episcopal palace, and later on the neighbouring Tömlöc and Föld Bastions. This was followed by the excavation of St John's Cathedral and then the provisional palace and the south-western part of the Szép Bastion. Finally the one-time hospital and the nearby prison were restored, followed by the Renaissance tower and the Dobó Bastion which had collapsed in the meantime. Research and conservation work has continued, albeit at a somewhat more leisurely pace. The most recent efforts resulted in the baptistery, a rotunda dating from 10

th-! 1

th century, being covered with a roof in 2002 and opened to the general public. 254