Via Sancti Martin

The Franciscan monks first built their monastery, then around 1280 they built a church next to it, which is an outstanding work of Hungarian Gothic architecture. The south doorway is decorated with a 15th-century mantled statue of Mary. Its vault and organ case are also 15th century, but its interior is Baroque. Its frescoes and pointed-arch windows are masterpieces. The richly sculpted altarpiece under the medieval pedestals with their distorted human heads is a relic of the 18th century. From one of its pulpits, the Franciscan monk St John Capistrano preached, who was rallying against the Turks before the triumphant Battle of Nándorfehérvár. The other pulpit is an 18th-century work of art, decorated with statues and reliefs. The church has been the scene of many historical events: the coronation of a king in 1625, the coronation of queens, and national assemblies. From 1802, the church was used by the Benedictine monks and was also the burial place of the Esterházy and Széchényi families. The late Gothic chapel hall houses an interactive exhibition together with the church. Also known as the Church of the Goat, the building takes its name from the fact that the coat of arms of its builder, Henrik Geisel, with its goat emblem, can be found on the façade of the tower and on the brackets of the spire.

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