Franciscan Monastery of Vaci - Piarist Lookout Centre
A large part of the Franciscan church and monastery was built on the ruins of the former fortress and cathedral of Vác.
The Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral, known as a humanist citadel in the Renaissance, disappeared during the Turkish era. The palace was repeatedly blown up and the castle was destroyed in 1684. For a long time, this area, which is also mentioned in the Pictorial Chronicle as having experienced historical times, lay fallow.
In 1719, however, Bishop Frigyes M. Althann of Vaci donated the area to the Franciscan Order in gratitude for their efforts to preserve the faith in difficult times. Construction of the monastery and church soon began, partly with stones and building materials found there. Archaeological excavations prove that the monastery was partly built on the site of the former Cathedral.
The monks first moved into the monastery's wing overlooking the Danube in 1726, the first to be completed. The adjacent Baroque church was built between 1721 and 1761.
Until the middle of the 19th century, the building also housed a post-press workshop, where the raw material for the clothing of the Franciscan Salvatorian order was made, and one of the largest rural ecclesiastical printing presses of the time.
The church and the monastery building have recently undergone a complete renovation. The latter has also been given a new function. Now the Piarist Observatory, Piarist Career Guidance and Labour Market Development and Methodology Centre.
*Due to the epidemic situation, the Piarist Lookout Centre is temporarily closed to tourists.