The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is a remarkable building. After the glorious consecration ceremony of the church in 1891, attended by the country’s bishops and the Apostolic King József Ferenc I, the papers in Budapest wrote:
“If you want to see heaven, come to Pécs.”
Its current form came about from the 19th century reconstruction works; this considered transformation kept the magical atmosphere of the medieval Cathedral.
The magnificent baldachin main altar further enhances the immense space, by dividing it into two halves by the monumental arch as we enter. The choir can boast of a four-manual organ with over 6000 pipes, a masterpiece from the renowned Angster Organ Factory in Pécs. The Chapels of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Corpus Christi are decorated by Karoly Lotz seccos. Additionally, we can observe the world famous Bertalan Székely seccos in both the Chapel of Mary and in the chapel of Saint Mór. The mortal remains of Janus Pannonius, a well-known Humanist poet and a former Bishop of Pécs, were rediscovered and then reburied during archaeological excavations in the enormous 12th century, cross-vaulted, five-nave crypt. A sculpture was erected in his memory at the same spot. There is a stunning view of the city from the south-eastern tower of the time-honoured cathedral, which has preserved the spirit of its thousand-year-old past so well.
