In the Footsteps of St. Michael in Veszprém’s Castle District
On Veszprém’s Castle Hill, towering over the city, it’s easy to lose track of time. However, the Baroque palace, the churches, and the centuries-old buildings preserve a history far older than what meets the eye. Over centuries of wars, renovations, bishops, and queens, much has changed, yet one thing has remained surprisingly constant: the name of St. Michael.
A name from the time of the founding of the state
The name Mihály derives from the Hebrew name Mikael, meaning “Who is like God?” In Christian tradition, he is not simply one angel among many. In the Book of Revelation, he leads the heavenly hosts against the dragon, and later became known throughout Europe as the protector of the Church and the embodiment of victory over evil. This is why he is often depicted in art holding a weapon, with a vanquished dragon or demon at his feet.
It was hardly a coincidence that the church in one of the earliest ecclesiastical centers of the Kingdom of Hungary, which was converting to Christianity, bore his name.
But who built the cathedral?
The tradition in Veszprém strongly emphasizes the role of Queen Gizella the Blessed, according to which Gizella began construction of the cathedral from the ground up in the first half of the 11th century. But what makes the Castle District truly interesting is that its history is not tied to a single era; rather, it has evolved continuously over the centuries.
This is one of the reasons why certain sites in the Castle District reveal a completely different side of themselves when explored with a knowledgeable guide. The “Journey Through a Thousand Years” guided castle tour, which begins at 4:00 p.m., follows this historical arc as it winds its way through St. Michael’s Cathedral and the crypt to St. George’s Chapel. It does more than simply link together a series of monuments; within a few hundred meters, the earliest centuries of Christianity in Hungary are brought side by side.
What is a warrior angel doing above a cathedral?
From today’s perspective, a warlike depiction of Saint Michael may seem unusual in a church. For people in the Middle Ages, however, the dragon, the sword, and the scales were not merely decorations. They embodied an entire worldview.
The dragon symbolized the evil to be vanquished, the weapon symbolized defense, and the scales symbolized responsibility. Thus, Michael was linked simultaneously to danger and safety, to life and death. It is no coincidence that veneration of him took particularly strong root in medieval Europe, and that such monumental holy sites as Monte Gargano in Italy or Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy were associated with him. His feast day in Western Christianity falls on September 29; on this day, the Catholic Church celebrates the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael together.
In the history of Veszprém, however, Saint Michael does not appear only at the end of September. His name appears in one of the city’s most important medieval sources, in the title of the cathedral, and in the more than thousand-year-old ecclesiastical continuity of Várhegy.
A thousand years is an almost inconceivable span of time for a single building, but guided castle tours provide the key to understanding it: they help you notice the details that you might otherwise easily overlook.
In fact, the entire Várhegy in Veszprém preserves the story of Saint Michael.
