The around 500 m2 church in Császár consecrated to the Apostles St Peter and St Paul is located on the village’s main street, at Kossuth utca 107. The 36-metre-high building dominates the centre of the village with its tastefully designed fountain, park and sculpture. The monumental building stands on the site of a church erected at the beginning of the 12th century and was supposedly built in the 1770s based on plans by Jakab Fellner. The entire church interior, its ceiling frescoes and the altarpieces are the work of artist Stephan Dorffmeister. The communion rail created by Master Johann Georg Mess in 1793 and the resurrection candlestick carved from one wooden block are also worthy of attention. One special ornament is the ark-shaped pulpit, a rare treasure in Europe.Address: Császár, Kossuth u. 107.Further information: Sándor Író, parish priest, 06/20-4200447
Its carefully carved stones are a real art history treat for those interested in Romanesque and early Gothic architecture. An early church was allegedly already standing in the dense Vértes forest before the arrival of the Benedictine monks. The Benedictine monastery and church were then built nearly 900 years ago. It is not known when the monastery was founded, although monks were already living here by 1146. The construction was started by Bishop Ugrin II at the end of the 12th century and completed by his successor, Nicholas II, in the first quarter of the 13th century. In the 13th century, a large, three-naved, east-oriented Romanesque church rich in sculptural ornamentation was built to the south of the early building complex. Under the rule of Charles I (Charles Robert), the area became royal property and a popular hunting ground. The period while the monarchs were its patrons can be considered the abbey’s heyday. Subsequently, the building complex changed hands several times; however, its maintenance was neglected. In 1478, King Matthias appealed to Pope Sixtus IV to “annex the (abbey) that was so badly destroyed that it was ruined almost to the ground to the Dominican monastery erected in the honour of St Margaret lying just outside the walls of the city of Fehérvár”. This indeed happened in 1478 and the abbey was entered into the registration book of the Dominican order with the name Vérteskeresztúr. The monks fled during the Turkish conquest and the abbey was deserted. From the 1800s, most of the abbey’s stones were taken for churches, mills and dams being constructed nearby. Many of its carvings have been incorporated into the Csákvár Memorial and the Tata Art Ruin. Address: Oroszlány - Vértesszentkereszt, GPS coordinates: N:47.4437626799, E:18.2712829113Further information: +36/20/544-3074, +36/30/600-1293, www.vertesszentkereszt.orgOpening times: only by prior agreement and with a guide
The Camaldolese Reclusory can be found in Majk, near Oroszlány, surrounded by forests and lakes. Considered an oddity throughout Europe, this Baroque monumental ensemble consists of 17 cell houses, the church tower and the monastery. The reclusory was founded by József Esterhazy in 1733, to which he also donated 1,200 acres of wilderness, lakes and mills. Following the 1711 Szatmár Peace, which ended the Rákóczi War of Independence, the Majk reclusory was built through donations by the silent Camaldolese monastic order as a symbol of silence. The building complex was designed by Austrian Franz Anton Pilgram. The foundations of the church were laid in 1753, and a fish was placed as a symbol of silence along with the foundation stone. The construction was completed in 1770, but only 17 of the originally planned 20 hermitages were built. The houses were built from the donations of Hungarian aristocratic families loyal to Rákóczi and were marked by their coat of arms on the main facade. In the summer 1810, the roof structure of the church dedicated to St John was burnt down as it was struck by lightning. The stones were carried away partly by the Oroszlány Evangelists and partly by Károly Eszterházy to expand his Csákvár palace. There is still a fragment of fresco visible today on the sacristy vaulting on one side of the tower. It suffered significant damage during World War II. After the war, the building complex was used as a hospital, and after nationalisation, a secondary school and boarding school as well as a workers’ hostel were housed within its walls. It has been a tourist attraction since the 1980s, the lower part of the tower was restored in 1993 and the modern clock was added to the tower in 1992. In 2016, the entire monastery building’s structural and external restoration took place, the cellar, the ground floor and the herb attic were restored, and the monument was reconstructed. The interior decoration of the guests’ quarters was renewed and the unique frescoes in the former refectory were restored. The renovation of the building complex is still in progress today, but it can still be visited during the works.Address: 2890 Oroszlány – MajkpusztaFurther information: +36/34/560-690www.majk.huOpening hours: Daily, except Monday, 10 am to 6 pm, only with guided tours departing every hour
The monumental church on Fő utca was built according to the plans of the Esterházy family architect, Jakab Fellner. At that time, Kecskéd belonged to the Gesztes estate. Built in the 1860s, the single-towered Baroque church was consecrated in honour of St Anne. Interestingly, it houses two ornate reliquaries originating from the nearby Camaldolese Reclusory Church in Majk. The facade is ornate, the floor is fired brick and the altar is made from marble. The three bells in the 43-metre-high tower were produced by the Sopron master Frigyes Seltenhofer’s factory in 1922.Address: 2852 Kecskéd, Fő u. 8. Further information: 2840 Oroszlány, Haraszthegyi út 11.(34) 362 606http://www.munkasszentjozsef.hu
One of the most beautifully located Calvarias is that of Tatabánya Felsőgalla, although not much is known about its history. Judge János Fogl ordered the building of the Calvary Hill Chapel, the road leading to it and the stations in honour of Our Lady of the Sorrows in the 1850s. In 2008, the Felsőgalla congregation beautifully renovated the Calvary and the chapel, which already stood in ruins. The trapezoidal sanctuary houses the statue received as a gift from the Frankfurt church. Address: Tatabánya-Felsőgalla, Calvary Hill Further information: Central parish office2800 Tatabánya, Gellért tér 6.06-34-337-422banhidaiplebania@gmail.comhttp://tatabanyaiplebania.hu
Óváros, one of Tatabánya’s predecessor settlements, got its first Roman Catholic church by favour of MÁK Rt. The neo-Gothic church was built in 1912 in the mining settlement based on the plans of architect József Ullein. In the 1970s, the basilica-shaped, 12-columned, three-naved church underwent complete renovation with the assistance of Imre Makovecz among others. The church’s interior design and its organ make it suitable for concerts. The Polish nuns who took care of the sick during times of war are buried under the sanctuary apse. Address: 2800 Tatabánya, Május1 tér 5Kermesse (patronal festival): 20 August Further information: Central parish office2800 Tatabánya, Gellért tér 6.06-34-337-422banhidaiplebania@gmail.comhttp://tatabanyaiplebania.hu
According to Jankovics’s chronicle of John of Nepomuk, the Vértesszőlős church was built in 1671. Its tower was only added later, in 1751. The church was consecrated in 1792 in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at which time, the church also received vestments from Count Ferenc Esterházy, which are still preserved today. The pulpit and the Mary altar currently found on the right side of the transept were brought from the demolished Camaldolese Order church in Majk to Vértesszőlős. The organ was created in 1844 by János Sachs, Komárom organ builder. In 1955, the Vértesszőlős worshippers built a Lourdes cave under the balcony opposite the stairway leading to it from locally mined limestone in honour of Mary. Painter József Samodai painted the new high altar a secco fresco. The old altarpiece, made in 1870 in Vienna, can still be seen on the side wall of the sanctuary. Address: 2837 Vértesszőlős, Templom u. 49.Further information: 06-30/339-8612The church can be viewed by groups, please phone ahead to make an appointment: Tibor Nagy 34/379-209 or Norbert Zachara 34/379-191 and 30/276-8557
The earliest written mention of the building is a request from 1749, in which Jewish families living in the country town asked for permission to renovate their synagogue from the demesne. The conversion was approved by the demesne, and the applicants paid 1,000 forints into the demesne’s treasury for the designs prepared by Jakab Fellner. This Baroque synagogue was rebuilt in 1861. The designs were prepared by the Sir Ignác Weschselmann, colleague of Miklós Ybl. Part of the square in front of the synagogue was fenced off whilst putting the Old Cemetery Square in order in 1883. It was used as a warehouse from the summer of 1944, and from 1977, the Museum of Greek and Roman Statue Copies was housed within its walls. The building is currently waiting to be restored to use. The text engraved on the granite stone in the building’s garden preserves the memory of the Tata Jews deported to the Auschwitz death camp. On the occasion of the Holocaust Remembrance Day on 18 November 2004, Maria Lugossy’s work, Martyrs of All Time, was inaugurated in the restored synagogue’s courtyard. At that time, the Tata synagogue was declared a Holocaust memorial site by the Komárom-Esztergom County. Address: 2890 Tata, Hősök tere Further information: (+36) 34/381-251http://kunymuzeum.hu/ The synagogue can be visited during the castle opening hours, but please call beforehand to make an appointment!
In the Middle Ages, the church of the Benedictine Abbey village, named after ST IVAN (John the Baptist who was called St Ivan in old Hungarian), stood at the top of Calvary Hill. The ruined Romanesque church was demolished in 1754, Jakab Feller expanded the truncated walls of the sanctuary, covered it with a tented roof and added a southwest-facing facade. He placed a graceful ridge turret on top. The church was painted in 1755 and then restored between 1908 and 1911. The damage caused by World War II was permanently rectified during the 1962-1963 restoration. Exposing the earlier church’s walls and applying a protective coating to the exposed parts means that the former church’s form is discernible. The Calvary statue group is the work of Antal Schweiger. The area is currently under renovation.Address: Kálvária-domb (Calvary Hill)Further information: +36 34/588-163
The Capuchin monks arrived in the city at the invitation of József Eszterházy. Closed off from the world by their three monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they are also characterised by their brown tunic tied with a white cord. The church was completed quickly and delivered on 27 July 1746. The builder was Komárom master builder József Kuttner, an apprentice of Jakab Fellner. Its exterior is characterised by consciously applied modesty. The Capuchin stone cross is attached to the exterior wall of the church. The simple exterior conceals an exquisite Baroque interior. The jewels of the single-naved church are its high altar with rich carvings filling its entirety and the side altars built on both sides of the chancel arch. Their composition is based on the designs of Josef Beckert, a sculptor from Vienna, and is the work of carpenter Brother Jácint. Carl Auerbach and Casper Reisner created the paintings on the side altars while the high altarpiece is the work of Ferenc Müller. The painting created in 1890 depicts St Stephen commending the country to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the presence of his son, St Emeric.Services: Capuchin Museum and devotional shopAddress: 2890 Tata Bartók Béla út 1.Further information: +36 34/380-019tataikapucinus@gmail.comhttp://www.tataikapucinus.hu/
The towering monumental church on Kossuth tér, the town’s main square, glorifies the work of talented Baroque architects Franz Anton Pilgram, Jakab Fellner and József Grossman. The names of Adolf Mohl, Antal Gött, Antal Schweiger and János György Mes are connected amongst others to the impressive interior of the two-tower church. The two-towered, single-naved building’s exterior and interior decoration are both dominated by festoons depicting foliage, a popular ornament of the late Baroque era, from which this age’s style got its Hungarian name ’copf’, meaning braid. The main nave is covered by double bay surbased spherical vaulting while the sanctuary is narrower than the main nave. The towers are almost 60 metres high and both are topped with Baroque steeples. It is the 2nd largest church in Komárom-Esztergom County. There is a late Baroque-style altar made of red marble in the centre of the church’s interior; a carved Calvary corpus can be seen in its columnar structure. The liturgical space’s most beautiful ornaments are the marble rood-screen, the richly carved pulpit and the 1799 painting by Hubert Mauer depicting the farewell of the Apostles Peter and Paul. In the sacristy, there is a carved sacristy cabinet from the Camaldolese Reclusory Church in Majk, which is a masterpiece of Rococo furniture. The tomb of the great Baroque architect, Jakab Fellenthali Fellner, is located in the church’s crypt whereas a portrait statue of him can be found on the square in front of the church. Address: 2890 Tata Kossuth tér 15.Further information: +36 34/588-163 szentkereszttata@gmail.com
Dunaalmás has a remarkable church history past. In 1206, a church and Benedictine monastery were built in Almás in honour of St Ladislaus. The Reformation began on 31 October 1517 with the publication of the 95 theorems of Martin Luther in Wittenberg. Subsequently, young people began enrolling at the University of Wittenberg. The rapid spread of the Reformation also played a role in Almás in that the majority of students studying abroad travelled home via the Almás ferry crossing. Around 1500, settling Calvinist families repaired the church and took ownership of it. Today’s eclectic-style church was built on the site of the old one in 1894. The Baroque dome, destroyed in World War II, was restored in 1988. A memorial to the Peace of Zsitvatorok and the victims of World War II stands in the churchyard. Address: 2545 Dunaalmás, Almási út 78.Further information: Valkiné Gúthy Éva+36-34-450-464
The foundation of this freestanding, east-oriented church next to the main road in a churchyard protected by a partly battlemented wall was built in the 14th century and has been expanded and shaped over the decades. There is a tower in front of its single-naved church while it has a polygonal sanctuary with a jerkinhead roof. The sanctuary features Gothic window-cases and buttresses, and Gothic vaulting details can also be seen on the northern facade. The nave is covered by a flat ceiling and has cast iron columns supporting a gallery on the western side. The external wall is partially from the Middle Ages. The churchyard is adorned with Roman tombstone fragments and Gothic carvings.The so-called “Neszmély head” which could have been an element of the medieval door, placed as a corbel where the lintel joins the wall and conjectured to perhaps depict the church’s architect, has been moved from the church to the Tata Museum. Address: Neszmély Fő u. 171., Mosó köz 1.Further information: +36 34-451-771
The listed Reformed church was built in the 14th-15th century on the site of a church from the Árpád era. The buttressed tower was added to the facade in 1788, it was neo-Gothicised in 1894 and significant medieval parts were demolished, at which time an annex was built onto the north-eastern side of the tower. It was renovated in 1997 and 2000. Research carried out in 2000 discovered a quoin from a church presumably prior to the 14th century. Its exterior facade was renovated in 2017. The church is freestanding at the top of a hill; it faces east and has a single nave and a polygonal sanctuary roof. It has a tower reinforced with buttresses in front of its west facade and a jerkinhead roof above the sanctuary. The wall of the nave is of medieval origin up to the height of the cornice on the eastern side. There are buttresses on the sanctuary and the southern side, Gothic windows and entrance while there is a Gothic sacristy door on the northern side of the sanctuary. The interior has a flat ceiling, with a wooden balcony on the side of the nave’s entrance. Its furnishings include a communion table made in 1825 and a baptismal font from 1887. The church’s interior wooden fittings date from 1873. Address: Lábatlan, Dózsa György út 112.Further information: 33/361-585
The area was already a church estate from the 1300s and the church, still standing today, was built in 1735 in Baroque style. The monastery was built in the second half of the 18th century for the Nazarenes, then the Pauline order settled here twice for a short time. From 1913, the shrine was taken over by Don Bosco’s Salesian Society, which brought stability and prosperity to the place of worship. It was nationalised in 1950 but the Salesian Order got it back in 1992. The Holy Cross Church, a pilgrimage church housing relics, which was renovated in 2014, welcomes worshippers with Holy Mass every day of the week. The church’s attractions include the St Wendel Chapel as well as the stained-glass windows depicting the events of our Lady of Seven Sorrows. The main points of interest in the area are the Calvary statue group erected in the 18th century, each station of which was created in a different style, as well as the Lourdes cave. It is a popular place for pilgrims thanks to its remarkable religious history. It lies along the route of the 1,400km-long Mary Way leading from Mariazell in Austria to Csíksomlyó (Șumuleu Ciuc) in Transylvania and the 900km-long Via Margaritarum, or Pearl Way, joining Mátraverebély, Szentkút and Mariazell.A pilgrimage site in honour of the Holy Cross. Services: holy mass, accommodation, events, gift shop, café, National Blue Tour seal site, Gerecse Nature Park Visitors’ Centre (under construction!) Address: Bajót – Péliföldszentkereszt Further information: 2533 Bajót- Péliföldszentkereszt, Pf. 3+36-33/506-340, +36-20/235-9006 szentkereszt@szaleziak.huhttp://szentkereszt.szaleziak.hu/
The mining ministry church was founded in 1923 in honour of St Barbara; the following year, construction of the church began based on the plans of Budapest chief architect, Zoltán Gáthy. Built in a neo-Romanesque-cum-neo-Renaissance style, it was consecrated by Cardinal József Serédi, Bishop of Esztergom, in 1931. Antal Bánáti Bucher’s work “Dorog Mass” was presented on this occasion. The altarpiece is the work of Lajos Mátrai. The church suffered severe damage in World War II. Its new frescoes were painted by Astrik Kákonyi while József Klotz created its sundial. The tower and clock were restored to their original condition during renovation works beginning in 2000. On the 20th anniversary of Dorog becoming a town, a work by sculptor Róbert Csíkszentmihály was placed next to the church; its angel is reminiscent of the square’s former imposing spectacle, the altar of coal. It is currently an outstanding venue for preserving the mining traditions of Dorog. Address: 2510 Dorog-Újtelep Bányászkörönd 3.Kermesse (patronal festival): 12 April Adoration: 25 May and 27 December Further information: Parish2510 Dorog, Bányászkörönd 1.33/431-783banyasztemplom.dorog@gmail.com
The Hungarian Pauline Order is the only medieval order founded in Hungary. Eusebius, Canon of Esztergom and later founder of the order, often met with hermits living in the Pilis and in 1246, he resigned from his duties and, with the permission of the Archbishop, also went to live in the Pilis. There, he gathered the hermits together and founded the “First Hermit St Paul Brothers”, making the Hermit St Paul the patron of his namesake order. They built a church and founded a monastery in honour of the Holy Cross under the former hermits’ caves. The 26-metre-long Gothic church was 8 metres wide. The church and monastery were surrounded by a wide perimeter wall, and burials took place in the church. The headquarters of the Order from 1250 to 1304 was Klastrompuszta.Traditionally, every mid-September, a memorial mass commemorating the founders is held on the ruins of the monastery’s church. At this time, the ruins of the former monastery become the centre of the Pauline order once again as visitors from all parts of the country come to commemorate the founders.
The building known as the Rác (Serb) Church by the locals is a monument adorning the city’s main street. Until 1910 the Serb Orthodox and now the Greek Catholic church, this was once the site of the Johannite hospice and then some small churches. In the 1700s, the Serbs built a new stone church in honour of St Michael and Archangel St Gabriel. The Baroque-style church is a building with a tower on its facade and a single nave, set back from the street. The icons were made in 16th and 17th century Balkan and Byzantine style, the frieze with apostles dates back to 1740. After Esztergom’s Serbian population died out, the church’s furnishings and its rare so-called low-iconostasis became part of the Serbian Ecclesiastical Art and Science Museum in Szentendre. The building complex came into the possession of the Greek Catholic Church in 2000 and has since been beautifully renovated. There are 18th century tombs and crosses standing near the church.In the basement, you can see the remains of the former Johannite church. Address: 2500Esztergom, Kossuth u. 60.Kermesse (patronal festival): 11 August Further information: (33) 631-681, 30/3166345 kapcsolat@gorkatesztergom.hu
The one-towered church, also known as the Old Church, was built between 1757 and 1762. It has an incredibly beautiful oak door and carved benches. After the basilica, it is the second largest church in Esztergom and the third largest in the county. Its tower is 70 metres high. Its predecessor was the parish of St Peter, which was already mentioned 1294. In 1756 Buda master builder Ignác Oratsek was entrusted with the construction of the church. Prince-Primate Ferenc Barkóczy consecrated the huge, monumental, Baroque church in 1762. The approximately 990 m2 building has been the scene of significant religious events in the city. Its furnishings have been continuously enriched over time. The high altarpiece is the work of János Vaszary. The St John of Nepomuk statue located in the church’s curtain is a monument dating from the 18th century. The chaplain of the monument was, for a short time, Ottokár Prohászka.The parish offers accommodation possibilities for pilgrims. Address: 2500 Esztergom, Deák Ferenc u. 12. Further information: Parish2500 Esztergom, IV. Béla király u. 3.20/775-2841, 33/898-124sztpeterespal@egomnet.huhttp://belvarosiesztergom.hu
St Anne’s Church and Monastery are the city’s earliest Baroque architectural monuments.The Franciscan church was partly built on the remains of an earlier church named after the medieval Helping Virgin Mary. The Franciscan order was already present in Esztergom in the 1220s, before the death of St Francis of Assisi. King Béla IV was buried in the church they built. Construction work on a new church, still standing today, to replace the earlier destroyed building began in 1700. It only gained its current form, however, in 1886 when its tower was built. There are three statues of saints in the statue niches on its facade: St Francis of Assisi, St Anne with the baby Mary and St Anthony of Padua. The church was completely renovated in 1989-1990 and the monastery underwent continuous expansion and renovation until 1999. The latter building houses the Ladislaus Pelbárt of Timişoara Franciscan Grammar School and Boarding School.Address: 2500 Esztergom, Bottyán J. u. 10.Kermesse (patronal festival): 26 JuneAdoration: 28 March and 7 December Further information:Parish2500 Esztergom, Bottyán János u. 10.(33) 510-290, 414-300/124esztergom-lelk@ofm.huhttp://franka-egom.ofm.hu