Gellért Hill Calvary
Encyclopedia
Gellért Hill Calvary was a Late Baroque calvary
on Gellért Hill
, Budapest
which was demolished around 1950.
on the initiative of the Jesuit Order. The simple structure was made up of two stone sculptures and a wood crucifix
. In 1795 Füll (or Fühl) Mihály started a public fundraising to build a new group instead of the old one which was already decaying. The magistrate of Buda supported the effort but it took decades to realize because in 1822 the calvary is described as "recentius a Cive Michaele Fühl exstructa" (recently built by Fühl Mihály). The road to the new group was lined by stations whose paintings depicted the sufferings of Christ. On Easter Monday
s a procession climbed the steep road leading to the calvary to celebrate the resurrection. Many tents and vendors were erected on the nearby meadow. The emmausjárás (Emmaus-walk) or tojásbúcsú (egg feast) was one of the most popular Catholic holidays of the year during the 18-19th centuries. In 1873 the citizens of the Tabán
district repaired a few stations and decorated them with new paintings, painted on wood by „C. Sauer”. Many stations were demolished in the 1920s. Only three of them were still standing in the 1930s. The last photo about the building was made in 1943. The calvary was demolished around 1950.
kneeling, the Virgin Mary and John the Apostle
standing. There was wooden niche behind the calvary symbolizing the Holy Sepulchre with two wooden angels.
Calvary (sculpture)
A calvary is a type of monumental public crucifix, sometimes encased in an open shrine, most commonly found across northern France from Brittany east and through Belgium and equally familiar as wayside structures provided with minimal sheltering roofs in Italy and Spain...
on Gellért Hill
Gellért Hill
Gellért Hill is a high hill overlooking the Danube in Budapest, Hungary. It is part of the 1st and 11th Districts. Gellért Hill was named after Saint Gerard who was thrown to death from the hill. The famous Hotel Gellért and the Gellért Baths can be found in Gellért Square at the foot of the...
, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
which was demolished around 1950.
History
The first calvary on Gellért Hill was built in 1715 by a citizen of BudaBuda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
on the initiative of the Jesuit Order. The simple structure was made up of two stone sculptures and a wood crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
. In 1795 Füll (or Fühl) Mihály started a public fundraising to build a new group instead of the old one which was already decaying. The magistrate of Buda supported the effort but it took decades to realize because in 1822 the calvary is described as "recentius a Cive Michaele Fühl exstructa" (recently built by Fühl Mihály). The road to the new group was lined by stations whose paintings depicted the sufferings of Christ. On Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
s a procession climbed the steep road leading to the calvary to celebrate the resurrection. Many tents and vendors were erected on the nearby meadow. The emmausjárás (Emmaus-walk) or tojásbúcsú (egg feast) was one of the most popular Catholic holidays of the year during the 18-19th centuries. In 1873 the citizens of the Tabán
Tabán
Tabán usually refers to an area within the 1st district of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. It lies on the Buda side of the Danube, to the south of György Dózsa Square, on the northern side of Elisabeth Bridge and to the east of Naphegy...
district repaired a few stations and decorated them with new paintings, painted on wood by „C. Sauer”. Many stations were demolished in the 1920s. Only three of them were still standing in the 1930s. The last photo about the building was made in 1943. The calvary was demolished around 1950.
Description
The calvary stood in a very small, rectangular courtyard surrounded by brick walls. The front side was closed with a wooden gate between two brick pillars. The pillars were crowned with iron crosses standing on stone balls. The back wall was arched. The stone crucifix of the calvary was 3.5 m high and it was surrounded by three painted stone sculptures: Mary MagdaleneMary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
kneeling, the Virgin Mary and John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
standing. There was wooden niche behind the calvary symbolizing the Holy Sepulchre with two wooden angels.