The Downtown Candlemas Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( hu, Belvárosi Gyertyaszentelő Boldogasszony-templom), formerly known as the Mosque of Pasha Qasim ( hu, Gázi Kászim pasa dzsámija, tr, Gazi Kasım Paşa Camii) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church in

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, which was a mosque in the 16–17th century due to the Ottoman conquest. It is one of the symbols of the city, located in the downtown, on the main square ( Széchenyi square). The current building, a hundred steps in length and in width, was built by Pasha Qasim the Victorious between 1543 and 1546. The mosque was converted back into a church in 1702,Pécs Lexikon, Ferenc Romváry, Pécs, 2010, pp. 98, after

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

- Hungarian troops reconquered the city. The

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

was destroyed by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

in 1766. One of the largest Ottoman constructions remaining in Hungary, the building still retains many Turkish architectural characteristics.

History

Széchenyi square in the 1880s Standing at the highest point of Pécs's Széchenyi square, the mosque of pasha Qasim is the greatest example of Turkish architecture in Hungary. It probably was built in the second half of the 16th century, some years after the Ottomans occupied Pécs in 1543. In the 1660s, the famous Turkish traveller

Evliya Çelebi Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...

wrote of the overwhelming majesty of its view. A number of changes were made to the building between the 18th and the 20th centuries: its minaret was taken down after having been enlarged; only the bulk (the octagon drum, covered by a dome, patterned after traditional Orthodox cathedrals) remained of the original structure. Arc windows are set in two rows on the façades of the southeastern, southwestern, and northeastern sides of the building; 3–3 and 4-4 pieces. Inside, some Ottoman decoration and inscriptions from the ''

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

'' are clearly visible in the remaining plaster parts. The Turkish pulpit and the women's balcony have been destroyed, and the ''

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

'' is not the original. The two Turkish bathing basins before the

sacristies A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

(today, holy water) were taken from the former bath of the pasha next to the church. The building now functions as a Roman Catholic church.

References

* Rados Jenő: Magyar építészettörténet (p. 161–168) – 1961. Bp. Műszaki K. – ETO 72 (439) 091 * Szerk. Fülep L.: A magyarországi művészet története (p. 371–372) – Bp.1961. Képzőmúv. Alap K. – Kossuth Ny. 61.3465. * Goldziher Ignác: Az iszlám kultúrája – Gondolat K. Bp. 1981. – * H. Stierlin: Iszlám művészet és építészet – Bp. Alexandra K. – * H. Stierlin. Türkei – Architektur von Seldschuken bis Osmanen – Taschen Weltarchitektur – (German)

External links

Terebess Asia-lexicon

Aerial photos of the mosque and the city.
{{coord, 46, 4, 37, N, 18, 13, 41, E, display=title Buildings and structures in Pécs Tourist attractions in Pécs Roman Catholic churches in Hungary Former mosques in Hungary Ottoman mosques in Hungary Churches converted from mosques Conversion of non-Christian religious buildings and structures into churches Buildings converted to Catholic church buildings