Esterházy Church and Mausoleum – Ganna

Esterházy Church and Mausoleum – Ganna

Esterházy Church and Mausoleum

In 1748, the Esterházys had three main estates in Hungary: Tata, Pápá, and Csákvár. Members of the count’s family asked Bishop Károly Esterházy to build a church in Ganna. The request specifically emphasized that the holy place must be unique.

The mausoleum has a really unique look, bearing the hallmarks of neoclassicism. The church has beautiful sculptures made of sandstone. The inner rows of pews were made in 1818 and have been standing here in the sanctuary ever since. The structure of the church is formed by fire-bent, resin-soaked beams, which were also not touched in the past centuries. If we look around, we will find original Süttő marble and a beautiful wooden altar. The church was consecrated in the summer of 1818. The circular central crypt is reminiscent of Italian baptisteries. It has a domed central part supported by eight slender columns, and the side niches containing sarcophagi and coffins can be approached from its Bohemian-vaulted surround. The level of the central part is slightly deeper, and in the center, there is a double corpus on a circular floor plan marble altar. Two figures of Christ hanging on a cross so that two priests can say mass at the same time, one in white for the living, the other in black for the dead.

The Hungarian influence of the mausoleum as an architectural work can be felt most in the sub-church of the Eger Cathedral, which is the work of József Hild, a student of Charles Moreau.

Many important members of the Esterházy family lie in the crypt. Coffins and sarcophagi were placed by family. The XIX stone sarcophagi of the first half of the century are replaced in the second half of the century by ornate, romantic, and eclectic ore coffins often held with lion claws, owls, and even dolphins.

In Ganna, mass is held here every week, as this building is also the village’s church, which is still in use today.

Address: Ganna Fő utca 37.

The Church and Mausoleum can only be visited with prior registration!
Contact: +3630 304 3362

Ticket prices (which also include the tour guide fee):

Adult: HUF 800/person
Students: HUF 500/person