Tanulmányok Budapest Múltjából 31. (2003)
A MÚLT RÉTEGEI - A SZENT GYÖRGY TÉR TÖRTÉNETE - Magyar Károly: A budavári Szent György tér és környékének kiépülése : történeti vázlat 1526-tól napjainkig 43-126
A BUDAVÁRI SZENT GYÖRGY TÉR ÉS KÖRNYÉKÉNEK KIÉPÜLÉSE approach towards south, to the area on dispute.) The two gates were of course military checkpoints and the tower of Fehérvári Gate served as a powder magazine as well (at list until the fire of 1723, when it blew up). No question, the quarter down from this line was a zone of basically military character, however, some burgher houses, plots and two ecclesiastical institutions still 'won' place here. The private houses and plots were grouped on the west, or north-west, in the former St Sigismund Street, named that time as Schloss Gasse, and in the central block, between the two streets. (Some of them survived even up to the end of the 19 th century!) A huge area on the eastern, north-eastern part of the former St. John Street (including the ruins of former St. John's church/Pasha djami and the site of the Pasha palace as well) was obtained - after some intermezzo - by Carmelite order. Although it took long decades for them to build their new church and cloister up, the street was named after them almost all along the 18 th c. as Carmeliter Gasse. Inspite of their long construction works the life of the Carmelites turned to be relatively very short here, since - among others - this order fell victim of the dissolution program of King Joseph II in 1784. After a short period of hasitation, in 1787 their nice baroque church was transformed to be a theather, and since that time - even if with some pauses - it has been working in this function. According to this the name of the street turned to Theater Gasse equalling with the Hungarian Színház utca, that has been still in use. The cloister building of the Carmelites for some years was used for different civil purposes, while in 1794 it was given for the use of military headquartes, and from here to 1945 it worked according to this function. Altogether: these two buildings of the same original komplex have survived through the last centuries, and today they are the only representatives of the baroque époque in the area. However, their present look bears the characteristics of their late baroque - 'zopf -styled - transformation. The other ecclesiastic institution that appeared on the site on the end of the 17 th c. was the 'resurrected' St. Sigismund-provostry. A part of the ruinous medieval church was rebuilt in the first decades of the 18 th c. But it existed on this location - i.e. in the central block between the two streets - only for a short time, since a brand-new room was built to house it within the western wing of the new, baroque Royal Palace, that was meanwhile taking shape on the south, upon the site of the medieval palace. After the consecration of this new 'castle-chapel' in 1769, the old church together with the house of the provost was pulled down. Their site has never been reused as a buidingplot, but left as an open place. By this act the former stripe-like space lying before the palace-compound, i.e. the Zeughaus turned to take an 'L' shape. From this time onwards we can speak about the square here of almost the modern sense of St. George Square, even if it was named at the beginning as Zeughaus Platz. Later, around the end of the 18 th c. appeared the form Georgi or Georgs Platz, the use of which can be explained by a historiotopographical misunderstanding. Some 18 th c. experts of local history idetified this place as the medieval St. George Square, the one that in fact equalled with the present-day Dísz Square, i.e. the Parade Platz of their age. In connection with the baroque St. George Square - being partly under formation - we have to mention two other important things yet. 121
