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Sopianae and served as both the burial site and the location of the burial ceremonies for these families. The necropolis has two stories: a network of underground chambers, catacombs, and crypts built out of limestone where the dead would be buried in sarcophagi or brick tombs, and above-ground chapels and mausoleums built on top. The burial chambers are richly decorated with murals depicting scenes from
Christianity (including images of the Apostles, Jonah, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), in addition to floral, and geometric patterns. In some of the chambers, portraits of the interred line the walls.
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142:. Soon thereafter, the town of Sopianae was founded where modern-day Pécs stands, by colonists from the west who had intermarried with the local Illyrian-Celtic people. By the 4th century, the town had become prosperous because of its location at the crossroads of multiple trading routes. A cemetery was built to the north of the town, where it was used for Christian burials until the dissolution of the Roman Empire.
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In total, the necropolis contains 20 excavated monuments and over 500 more modest graves clustering around the major monuments. This represents one of the largest and densest collections of burial monuments in the northern and western Roman provinces. The monuments were for the wealthy families of
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The first of the chambers was rediscovered and excavated in 1782, after the demolition of a
Renaissance-era palace. Further excavations in the 20th century led by Otto Szőnyi and architect István Möller uncovered more tombs.
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period. It is one of the most significant Roman cemeteries outside of Italy. Because of its size, unique architecture, artistry, and testimony to the spread of
Christianity in the
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In the 1st century AD, what would become western
Hungary was incorporated into the Roman Empire as part of the province of
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111:. Dating from the 4th century AD, the necropolis contains many decorated tombs,
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186:. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
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Remnants of an Early
Christian Church, 4th century AD
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287:Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Hungary
244:ICOMOS evaluation: Pecs (Hungary) - No. 853 Rev
180:"Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae)"
20:Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae)
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212:"The Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs"
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292:18th-century archaeological discoveries
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103:cemetery and archeological site in
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97:Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs
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184:UNESCO World Heritage Convention
282:World Heritage Sites in Hungary
210:Gábor Sarnyai (10 April 2018).
115:, and burial chapels from the
16:World Heritage Site in Hungary
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277:Tourist attractions in Pécs
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27:UNESCO World Heritage Site
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297:Cemeteries in Hungary
128:World Heritage List
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121:Late Roman Empire
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51:Cultural: iii, iv
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248:. Retrieved
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188:. Retrieved
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272:Necropoleis
150:Description
69:2000 (24th
66:Inscription
266:Categories
159:References
113:mausoleums
130:in 2000.
56:Reference
140:Pannonia
47:Criteria
134:History
109:Hungary
89:4.87 ha
81:3.76 ha
71:Session
250:14 May
217:14 May
190:14 May
125:UNESCO
101:Roman
99:is a
252:2023
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192:2023
105:Pécs
95:The
78:Area
60:853
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