Szeged’s Dóm Square designated as national memorial site

Szeged’s Dóm Square and the The Votive Church and Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary have been officially designated as a national memorial site, President Tamás Sulyok announced Thursday at an unveiling ceremony marking the designation.

Speaking at the installation of a stele commemorating the status — timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the birth of former culture minister Kuno Klebelsberg — Sulyok said the square and the cathedral hold “special value” in Hungary’s national identity and cultural life.

He noted that the site brings together religion, science and culture, highlighting the National Pantheon located under the arcades of the square and the surrounding university buildings.

Sulyok recalled that the city rebuilt itself after the devastating 1879 flood, fulfilling its vow to erect a new church, and later became a cultural center after the Treaty of Trianon displaced institutions and leaders from Transylvania.

The president praised Klebelsberg’s role in revitalizing Hungarian culture and education in the 1920s, calling his legacy a source of national pride.

Gábor Móczár, director general of the Institute of National Heritage, said Klebelsberg’s work “remains a compass” and that preserving national values is a strategic priority. He also noted that a smart commemorative plaque has been placed beside Klebelsberg’s tomb in the cathedral crypt.

Béla Mihálffy, the Christian Democrat lawmaker who initiated the designation, said the broad, cross-party parliamentary support for the measure shows that some values rise above everyday political divisions.

László Kiss-Rigó, Bishop of the Szeged-Csanád Diocese, said many in the city consider it their mission to continue Klebelsberg’s work, adding that leaders today are in a stronger position to carry his ideas forward.

Source: MTI (Hungarian News Agency)

Featured image: MTI / Zoltán Máthé