Horváth M. Ferenc (szerk.): Vác The heart of the Danube Bend. A historical guide for residents and globetrotters (Vác, 2009)

Tartalom

Mary Immaculate

St Dominic

and the objects buried with them have been preserved. The extraordinary findings are displayed at a permanent exhibition nearby.

Joseph II had the Dominican Order removed from Vác; their buildings were used by the Piarists for some years. Since 1805 the church has served as a parish church, while the monastery used to house aged priests. The latter was transformed into its present eclectic style around 1880. The upper floor was converted into flats, while the ground floor was occupied by popular shops for a long time.

The Baroque statue of St Joseph on a column outside the church on the square. It preserved traces of coloured paints, as the colouring of stone statues was not un■k common at that time.

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The statue on the side wall of the church is StJadwiga, the daughter of King Lajos (Louis) the Great of Hunobtain a special absolution. The altar- l_' piece depicts Pope Pius V, who himself was a Dominican friar, praying for the victory of the Christians. In the background we can discern the picture of the naval Battle of Lepanto (in presentday Greece) in 1571 where Christian forces inflicted a crushing defeat on the Ottoman fleet. The other picture on the altar is dated from 1664. Because of its subject it is unique in Hungary: it portrays Jesus Christ as the friend of the sinners in the Bible and haven of repentants. The Flemish Baroque picture must be a less known work by the painter Carel van Savoy from Antwerp. As to the furniture, the carvings on the pulpit and the pews are remarkable. JH

The citizens of Vác used to be bur- MH ied in the crypt beneath the chancel of the church.These chambers were used for the purposes of burial for nearly a

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