Address: 6300 Kalocsa, Szentháromság tér 1.
The history of the archdiocese of Kalocsa is closely interwoven with that of Hungary.
The archdiocese was founded by St. Stephen of Hungary in 1010, and its first archbishop was Astrik, who delivered St. Stephen’s crown from Pope Sylvester II. From the very beginning, the Archbishop of Kalocsa was next in rank to the Archbishop of Gran, which meant that when Gran was vacant,
the Archbishop of Kalocsa had the right to crown the sovereign. For example, in 1175, the Archbishop of Kalocsa was chosen to crown Bela III; and likewise, in 1204, Archbishop John crowned Ladislaus III.
The first parish church of the archdiocese was erected in the 1050s, and another two churches were raised and devastated on its place, before history allowed a time of rest and recovery.
The foundation of the present-day cathedral was laid under the leadership of Count Gorgy Csaky (1710-32), but it is Count Gabor Patachich, who may be looked upon as the second founder of the archdiocese. He moved the archiepiscopal residence permanently to Kalocsa, and concentrated all his efforts on the reorganization of the archdiocese.
Designed by Andras Mayerhoffer and
built between 1735 and 1754, the jewel of downtown Kalocsa,
the Italian baroque Cathedral stands 65 meters tall, 64 meters long, and 24 meters wide.
The bridge linking the towers of the cathedral once held three statues: Mary between the apostles Peter and Paul. However, the statues of the apostles, carved in 1775, started to crumble, and in 2007 they had to be removed from the top of the cathedral. Evermore dramatic, the lone statue of Mary, the patron saint of Hungary, spreads her arms as if calling us in and lifting us up into the skies; a most befitting host for the cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady.
The Cathedral’s original organ was made by the Angster Company from Pecs, in 1923, but it was disassembled in World War I, and its pipes were used for military purposes.
The reconstruction of the organ took place in 1985, and today the 64 register, three-manual organ with pedals awes the local congregation and visiting tourists with impressive sounds rushing through 4668 pipes. No wonder that even Franz Liszt liked to play on it during his visits to Kalocsa.
Photo: pappani
Address:
H-6300 Kalocsa
Szentharomsag ter 1
Phone/Fax: +36-78-487-501
Open:
- April 1 – October 31: Mon-Sun 8.30 –12.00 noon and 15.00 –18.00
- November 1 – 30: Mon-Sun 8.30 – 12.00 noon
Links
The History of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Bacs in the Catholic Encyclopedia
The Pecs Organ-building Manufacture today – English, German, Hungarian
Related articles
Cathedral Library of Kalocsa
Hundreds and
thousands of ancient codices have been gathered together in the private and archbishopric libraries being predecessors to this final, complex
library of the Cathedral in Kalocsa.
Treasury of the Archbishopric Kalocsa
The exhibition having
all the collected treasures of the Archbishopric on view was opened in 1988, and is located in the northern wing of the complex. The collection consists of
paintings, sculptures, golden and other precious jewelry from medieval times.
Kalocsa
The "Paprika Capital" of Hungary, Kalocsa is located on the left side of the Danube, 75 miles from Budapest.
The Archbishopric of Kalocsa was
founded by St. Stephen in 1001, and the city's first Archbishop,
Bishop Astrid had the honor of bringing the Holy Crown to Saint Stephen, founder of the Christian state of Hungary.
Image:
Statue of Asztrik on Kalocsa's Szt. Istvan Street
Paprika Museum Kalocsa
The Paprika Museum gives visitors
an insight into the details of the manufacturing processes of the world-famous Hungarian paprika. Also called the red gold, this sweet herb is essential in the culinary culture and the traditional image of Hungary.
Schoeffer Museum Kalocsa
Nicolas Schoeffer, a famous representative of kinetic art was born in Kalocsa in 1912 and died in Paris, France in 1992. He donated a represerntative collection of his life's work to the city of Kalocsa in 1979, which is now displayed in a museum established at the artist's birthplace.
