Zsolnay Mausoleum - Pecs, Hungary

The burial place of the Zsolnay family, the Zsolnay Mausoleum can be found in a part of Pécs called “Ledina”. From the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter we can get to the sanctuary of the family along an alley with 42 pyrogranite lion statues. The chapel of Neo-Romanesque style was designed in 1901 by Tádé Sikorski, the husband of Júlia Zsolnay. There is a legend related to its history, saying that the light leaking into the chapel on the day of winter solstice reveals the secret of eosin. The acoustics and sight of the mausoleum is breathtaking, giving visitors a spiritual experience. The mystic atmosphere of the building is given by the Christian motifs in it, including even symbols of freemasonry. The round building is surrounded by arched pyrogranite ceramics stairs. The elegant look of the chapel is given by the green glazed roof tiles. The entrance to the burial place is on the north side of the building. In the middle of the inner space, looking up through a circular opening we can see a relief resembling an eye, while on the western side of the chapel we can see the relief portrait of Vilmos Zsolnay. A real treasure of the east side of the sarcophagus is the shield designed by Júlia Zsolnay. The Neo-Romanesque tiles covering the walls of the chapel, the purple eosin glazed altar, the metallic looking sarcophagus with Roman motifs, standing on a bluish-red footage all give visitors a special experience.