Early Christian Mausoleum
Early Christian Mausoleum
Early Christian Mausoleum
4.5
About
Sopianae, predecessor of Pécs in the Roman times had its late Roman Paleochristian cemetery included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in the year 2000. In their architecture and wall-paintings the excavated finds present the Early Christian burial architecture and art of the Northern and Western provinces of the Roman Empire. From among the Hungarian world heritage sites the Early Christian cemetery is the only one that has won itself a place on the UNESCO world heritage list in the category of culture-historical architecture.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
156 reviews
Excellent
94
Very good
40
Average
20
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Mutiny
Sydney, Australia2,641 contributions
I read about these tombs before we arrived and that they have a UNESCO World Heritage listing, but was still pleasantly surprised by the experience. It is clear that they have invested heavily in the tourist infrastructure to allow you to see the amazing archeological findings. Given that the tombs and sepulchre are from the the 4th Century, the condition is marvellous and the frescoes that remain are superb.
Written 20 July 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronny
Kristiansand, Norway71 contributions
May 2014
Interesting story. Nice place close to center of town. Close to other sights. Easy access. Could be more guided in english.
Written 7 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nickwspoon
Ribchester, UK6 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
Excellent Museum and despite misreading the opening times online before our trip, it was worth the wait until the next day. Only downside was the attitude of the local traffic police, who view this museum as bait to catch foreign drivers - our sons were tired and stayed in the motorhome whilst we went in - we parked in a line of local cars on the road outside with no apparent parking restriction - it was later explained this is a well known trap - They ticketed about dozen unsuspecting local cars - But ours got special treatment with them all posing in front of it to have their photo taken - My eldest son had to shout a warning when one policeman then pushed his camera though an open window to take photos inside the van - Spoiled an otherwise great day, though the parking ticket was only about £10.
Written 1 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Monica G
Miami, FL65 contributions
Jul 2011
Very interesting and with a lot of information, both for adults and children.
Written 28 September 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hackmole
Havelock North, New Zealand51 contributions
Tombs are awesome. Very interesting information provided about early Christian history in the area. Really enjoyed it.
Written 17 June 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yaykitty
Shreveport, LA113 contributions
Nov 2018 • Couples
These burial sites are now under the city streets. You can see all sorts of Roman/Christian art on the walls of the old tombs. In some places, you can look up through a glass in the sidewalk and see people passing above. Very interesting.
Written 29 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fane Babanul
Rishon Lezion, Israel2,080 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
This place, close to the cathedral includes well preserved tombs from the late Roman period.
The whole setting is modern, with explaining texts. At each position, you can download and listen to detailed informative audio material on the exponates.
Several painted tombs are visible also from the above as you meander through the multi-storied covered structure.
Excellent, not to be missed.
The whole setting is modern, with explaining texts. At each position, you can download and listen to detailed informative audio material on the exponates.
Several painted tombs are visible also from the above as you meander through the multi-storied covered structure.
Excellent, not to be missed.
Written 5 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter J
Victoria, Canada98 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
Perhaps not as famous or extensive as the catacombs in Rome, but if you are in Pecs you definitely need to see this archeological treasure. Where else will you see 3rd century Roman early Christian tombs? And incredibly well preserved, including the original painted frescos.
Signage is excellent with full descriptions in English, German and Hungarian. Takes between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on your interest level. Little kids might be a bit bored, though no more so than at any typical museum.
Those with mobility issues should note that there are plenty of stairs up and down so you can see the tombs from both above and at "ground level". I'm not sure if there are lifts for wheelchairs.
Signage is excellent with full descriptions in English, German and Hungarian. Takes between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on your interest level. Little kids might be a bit bored, though no more so than at any typical museum.
Those with mobility issues should note that there are plenty of stairs up and down so you can see the tombs from both above and at "ground level". I'm not sure if there are lifts for wheelchairs.
Written 5 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
on_the_go_98765
Tucson20,571 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
Not a museum exactly, just an absolute archeological treasure unearthed quite by accident. As the story goes (so says the guide), these "finds" were unearthed during a sewer construction project 200 years ago. The burial sites were underground and chapels were above ground. The tombs are decorated with murals which can still be seen today.
Building estimates are that this was begun in the 4th century and that it was Christian. Further estimates have placed the end of its use during the 8th century. The site has been so carefully preserved and made accessible to us visitors with lots of glass, good natural light, and easy to navigate paths. Fortunate tourists will have a guide with them to facilitate seeing and understanding all there is. And, there is a lot!
Just as a point of interest, this is the largest early Christian burial chamber that has been found so far, outside of Italy.
There are probably 7 distinctly different viewing sections. The entire structure has been built out of the sandstone/limestone material indigenous to this area. As I walked away from this special viewing opportunity, I was struck with how people were buried on their sides. Very narrow coffins attest to that. Also, no bones were found and the best guess is that the bones were taken by early scavengers who took them for religious purposes or (worst case scenario) the bones, during the past 2 centuries, were scattered and the sites plundered. I prefer the first best-guess.
This was a must-see for us. The site is so well preserved, so accessible, well lit, and all the fact sheet postings by the viewing areas helped us understand a little more.
Helpful factoids: (1) the holes were for wooden beams that would have supported the roof (a very, very long time ago); (2) the hole in the burial pit is 2-fold: it ventilates and drains fluids from the corpses; (3) a castle wall is attached to the ruins; (4) bronze artifacts (crosses, etc.) helped convert Hungarians; (5) baptism took place in the cemetary and (6) the deceased were buried on their sides to save space (note the very narrow crypts).
Building estimates are that this was begun in the 4th century and that it was Christian. Further estimates have placed the end of its use during the 8th century. The site has been so carefully preserved and made accessible to us visitors with lots of glass, good natural light, and easy to navigate paths. Fortunate tourists will have a guide with them to facilitate seeing and understanding all there is. And, there is a lot!
Just as a point of interest, this is the largest early Christian burial chamber that has been found so far, outside of Italy.
There are probably 7 distinctly different viewing sections. The entire structure has been built out of the sandstone/limestone material indigenous to this area. As I walked away from this special viewing opportunity, I was struck with how people were buried on their sides. Very narrow coffins attest to that. Also, no bones were found and the best guess is that the bones were taken by early scavengers who took them for religious purposes or (worst case scenario) the bones, during the past 2 centuries, were scattered and the sites plundered. I prefer the first best-guess.
This was a must-see for us. The site is so well preserved, so accessible, well lit, and all the fact sheet postings by the viewing areas helped us understand a little more.
Helpful factoids: (1) the holes were for wooden beams that would have supported the roof (a very, very long time ago); (2) the hole in the burial pit is 2-fold: it ventilates and drains fluids from the corpses; (3) a castle wall is attached to the ruins; (4) bronze artifacts (crosses, etc.) helped convert Hungarians; (5) baptism took place in the cemetary and (6) the deceased were buried on their sides to save space (note the very narrow crypts).
Written 8 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charming_Karl
Lisbon, Portugal1,423 contributions
May 2012 • Couples
When I was researching this attraction, I could see there was some confusion as to where it is and how extensive it was. There are in fact two separate attractions - a small one at the northeast corner of St. Istvan Square, and then a second one, much much larger just to the north of that, across the street and just east of the cathedral.
The small one is worth seeing but rather modest - the foundation of the building, which you can see at street level, is the most fascinating aspect of that. The larger one is the real deal - after walking down a bit of a tunnel, you enter through a bank of glass doors into a world-class museum. After paying, there are about a dozen different tombs/structures. The largest is the foundation of an extraordinary building whose function is unknown, and which was probably never completed. It is apparent that a lot of funds and care were put into this - a steel structure of stairs and platforms has been constructed to give you the best views, to see the tombs from above and then also from the lowest level, where you can see everything from eye to eye.
I was thrilled that we got to see this. Budapest has some Roman ruins but there is nothing there that rivals this. Well worth taking the time (2-1/2 hours) to travel by train to Pecs and see these tombs and the other lovely attractions the city has to offer.
The small one is worth seeing but rather modest - the foundation of the building, which you can see at street level, is the most fascinating aspect of that. The larger one is the real deal - after walking down a bit of a tunnel, you enter through a bank of glass doors into a world-class museum. After paying, there are about a dozen different tombs/structures. The largest is the foundation of an extraordinary building whose function is unknown, and which was probably never completed. It is apparent that a lot of funds and care were put into this - a steel structure of stairs and platforms has been constructed to give you the best views, to see the tombs from above and then also from the lowest level, where you can see everything from eye to eye.
I was thrilled that we got to see this. Budapest has some Roman ruins but there is nothing there that rivals this. Well worth taking the time (2-1/2 hours) to travel by train to Pecs and see these tombs and the other lovely attractions the city has to offer.
Written 6 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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