SZECHENYI TÉR

At the heart of this square in the historic center is a remarkable ensemble comprising a church, monastery and high school, built in the ^17th century by the Jesuits. The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, dedicated to the founder of the Jesuit order, is a rare example of early Baroque in Hungary, with its elegant lines and deep spiritual atmosphere. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus in the early ^19th century, the complex was entrusted to the Benedictines, who still manage it today. They have maintained the religious functions of the building while integrating the Pharmacy Museum. Facing the entrance to the church, the Column of the Virgin Mary stands proudly. Erected in 1686 by Bishop Lipót Kollonich in gratitude for the recapture of Buda from the Ottomans, it symbolizes the city's faith and resistance. The Esterházy Palace on the square dates from the ^18th century and today houses the Rómer Flóris Museum, a major cultural center that organizes large temporary exhibitions dedicated to art and history. Not far away, the House with the Iron Stump attracts attention with its name and legend: a wooden stump beneath an oriel window was used to drive nails by apprentices who came to work in Győr, although this "iron stump" is actually a remnant of a grocery store sign dating from the 1830s. Finally, Apátúr House is a sumptuous Baroque mansion built in the ^mid-18th century by the great archpriest of Pannonhalma.