Solemn Inauguration of Statue at ELTE

István Klinghammer, secretary of state for higher education and Barna Mezey, the rector of ELTE, unveiled the statue of Péter Pázmány, in front of the building of the Faculty of Law last Friday. László Köver, the president of the Parliament also participated at the statue inauguration ceremony.

The statue pays tribute to the cardinal, founder of the university, the portrait of whom was found in the basement of the university a couple of years ago by a fortunate coincidence – said Barna Mezey, the rector, in his inaugural address.  

At the statue inauguration ceremony, Kálmán Medzihradszky, professor emeritus, delivered a ceremonial speech about the life and merits of Péter Pázmány. Péter Pázmány founded the legal predecessor of ELTE in Nagyszombat (Trnava) in 1635, later the Jesuits were entrusted to direct the university. After the dissolution of the Jesuit order, the university was relocated to Buda in 1777. Its present name was given in 1950 due to a central order after having been cut out the Roman Catholic Theological Faculty and the Medical Faculty from it in the preceding years.     

The now inaugurated statue of Péter Pázmány is the work of the sculptor, István Buda. Standing in his cardinal robe, Pázmány holds a book symbolizing the science in his hand, and looks at the Egyetem tér (University Square), where the Rector’s Office of ELTE is located, from the arcades of the Faculty of Law. The bronze statue standing upon a plinth of ca. 70 cm made from limestone of Süttő rises out of mass, and regards the clock and students rushing to take exam. The inscription of ‘Pázmány’ may be read on the front-side of the plinth, while there is a Pázmány-citation in Latin on the other side (facing to the university) thereof. „Pro afflicatae huius patriae conditione. Pázmány Péter”.

(Secretariat of State for Higher Education)