Tévedések az enteriőrbemutatásokban II. A pécsi románkori „Népoltár” inkább valami más
Errors in interior presentations II. The Romanesque “People’s Altar” in Pécs Cathedral is rather something else

Author(s): Károly Bugár-Mészáros
Subject(s): Archaeology, Architecture, Visual Arts, 6th to 12th Centuries, History of Art
Published by: Pécsi Tudományegyetem Művészeti Kar Művészettörténet Tanszék
Keywords: Pécs Cathedral; Romanesque architecture; ciborium altar; medieval sculpture; architectural reconstruction; Holy Sepulchre chapel; Peter Orseolo; Romanesque porch; monument interpretation; liturgical space
Summary/Abstract: The study critically reinterprets the Romanesque vaulted structure reconstructed from stone fragments found during the nineteenth-century restoration of the Cathedral of Pécs. The author challenges the widespread assumption that the structure functioned as a Romanesque “folk altar” or altar canopy. According to the paper, authentic Romanesque and Gothic ciborium altars were consistently supported by slender columns in order to ensure full visibility of liturgical ceremonies from every direction. Numerous examples from Venice, Milan, Rab, Zadar, Kotor, Trogir, Barletta, and Bari demonstrate that medieval altar canopies were architecturally light, open, and visually accessible. In contrast, the Pécs structure rests on massive clustered piers whose narrow openings significantly restrict visibility, making its interpretation as a ciborium highly problematic. The study therefore proposes alternative functions for the monument, including the possibility that it originally served as a vaulted entrance porch attached to the cathedral façade. A close architectural analogy is identified in the open Romanesque porch of the Church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande in Poitiers, whose sculptural decoration also resembles the carvings of Pécs. Another hypothesis suggests that the structure may have functioned as a Holy Sepulchre chapel or as a funerary chapel dedicated to King Peter Orseolo, founder of the cathedral. The author emphasizes that the elongated ground plan of the structure would be more appropriate for accommodating a sarcophagus than for housing a centrally positioned altar. The paper concludes that further analysis of the cathedral’s stone fragments, sculptures, and reliefs is necessary in order to determine the original architectural and liturgical function of the reconstructed monument.

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