After almost 170 years, the time capsule placed in the top cross of the Esztergom basilica was opened, wrote the Komárom-Esztergom county news portal.
Csaba Török, parish priest of the main cathedral, and Ildikó Kontsek, director of the Christian Museum, welcomed the participants of the event in the restoration workshop of the institution, where they announced that a new time capsule would be placed during the renovation.
What did the time capsule, sealed almost 170 years ago, say?
The Komárom-Esztergom county news portal reported on the reconstruction of the dome at the end of January this year as part of the renovation of the Esztergom basilica that lasted for several years. The time capsule that was placed at the highest point of the hundred-meter-high building during the last phase of the basilica's construction was removed from the summit cross. The presentation of the long-hidden contents of the time capsule was held in the restoration workshop of the Christian Museum on April 15.
The time capsule rested peacefully at the height of the pinnacle cross until the Second World War, but during the battles raging near Esztergom, it was put on the front line and, like many parts of the basilica, received shots and shrapnel hits. The time capsule also shows shrapnel damage, and although the builders of the 19th century probably did not expect such damage, the capsule's strong, double copper metal covering and insulation protected its contents.
What did the time capsule hide?
In the capsule was a parchment memorial about the installation of the pinnacle cross in August 1845 and the honorary edition of the archdiocese directory. Ildikó Kontsek said that they would like to present the contents of the time capsule to the public at a temporary exhibition. It is related to the fact that this exhibition is planned to be installed in the Panorama Hall of the basilica. An interesting feature of the exhibition will be that those interested will be able to see the original contents of that capsule. This is special because, as the director pointed out, it often happens that the contents of the old time capsules are put back into the new time capsules to be placed.
Ildikó Kontsek also added that the film will be shown at this exhibition, where the spectacular highlighting and specific opening of the time capsule can be seen. The director emphasized that the Vaszary Kolos Hospital provided special help at the beginning of the work, when the time capsule, which was still closed at the time, was examined with a CT scan, so its contents and internal condition were already known to the specialists before it was opened.
You can read the entire article on the KEMMA.hu
Photo: Zoltán Pöltl/Kemma.hu, Mediaworks
