T.Szabó Csaba blogja: The statue of Saint George by Márton and György of Cluj (Kolozsvár)

For those who ever lived or visited Cluj (Kolozsvár, Klausenburg), the cultural centre of Transylvania and Youth Capital of Europe in 2015 the spendide statue of Saint George is a well known monument. One of the most favourite statues of the city, it has a long and very adventurous history. Being restored recently in Cluj, I will resume now shortly the real story of it, purely with the aim of popularizing this masterpiece of Medieval art.

The story begins in the 14th century, when the Hungarian Kingdom was one of the greatest local powers in Central / Eastern Europe. It's king, Louis the Great (Nagy Lajos) from the Anjou dynasty was a "typical" Knight king of late Medieval times, who protected and financed the culture and art with significant sources. Due to his familial and political relationship with the Italian kingdoms and France, his personality and court represented a magnet for the artists in this period.His rich social network was also a fertile soil for high art fluting in Hungary at that period.

The copy from Cluj

Two artists from this period remained however the symbol of this age and generally, the highest level of Medieval art and sculpture: Márton and György of Cluj (Kolozsvár). There are few data about their origin or personal life - just imagine, that from the thousands of artists who worked on the majestic cathedrals and Medieval courtyards in Europe, few of them are known today!

Their works are known mostly from literary sources and chronicles of this time. They are the artists who made the majestic royal statues of the Hungarian saints in Várad (today Oradea, Romania). Those bronze statues were destroyed and melted during the Turkish invasion.

Their masterpiece however, is the statue of Saint George - one of the most popular Medieval saints in Europe, patron of numerous cities and even countries today.

The statue was finished in 1373 during the reign of Lajos the Great.It is unknown where it was erected

Copy from Budapest, Bastion of Fisherman

originally - it's size, form, shape and three-dimensional visuality suggest a free, open air space or at least, a niche. Recent studies of Ernő Marosi suggest this too. The literary source which speaks about the statue mentioned in 1541 already in Prague, in the imperial castle. It is quite possible, that the statue, made in Cluj, was directly sent by the Hungarian king to Charles the IV. graet king of Bohemia, builder of the famous bridge and founder of the university in Prague. Other teories suggest, that the statue appears in Prague only after the Turkish invasion of Hungary.

It is sure however, that the statue is one of the most highest quality of Medieval bronze statuary and art. Just few decades before the milestone of Donatello and his David, the statue of Márton and György is really, an immediate predecessor of Italian Renaissance - as the famous Hungarian art historian, Jolán Balog and Ernő Marosi proved already.

The original statue today is in the Museum of Prague Castle - and NOT outside of the court, as many tourists and even popularyzing books suggest! The original statue is in a dark and very badly lighted room, which makes impossible to study in details the really incredible piece of art.

A first copy of statue was made for Budapest (2 examples) and than for Cluj in the beginning of the 20th century. The statue from Cluj was erected in 1904 in front of the University Library (BCU - Piata Lucian Blaga today). Later in the 1960's was moved to his recent place in front of the Calvinist Church from the Farkas street (str. Kogalniceanu). The copy from Prague what you can see in the court of the imperial castle, was made also in the 20th century. Another copy you can find in Szeged and recently, in Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfantu Gheorghe too!).

Sources: 1, 2.