Szatmári Gizella: Signs of Remembrance - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2005)

shaped but integrated pattern of a dual bust. The face of Christopher spiritually radiates with a timeless, archaic smile. Leaning on Christopher's left shoulder is the Child.

Ignác Schwachhofer had a house built on the corner of Váci utca, where he opened his apothecary bearing the name of Great (Saint) Christopher in 1791. For his coat of arms Schwachhofer had a huge picture painted of his helper: as one of the fourteen patron saints, Christopher is the protector of physicians among others. A few years later the house was rebuilt by József Hild for the use of the physician Ede Flórián Birly. (The German doctor was of the old school, and regarded women as "unclean animals''; he used laxatives to cure puerperal fever. It was from him that Ignác Semmelweis took over his medical-school department in 1855.)

In 1833 the picture was replaced with an enormous sculpture ordered by Dr. Birly as an "ornament of his house’s corner." The artist creating the piece

■ The memóriái sign of the iquare named {or Great (Saint) Christopher

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