Batthyány-Montenuovo Mausoleum, Bóly

The Batthyány–Montenuovo mausoleum is the family mausoleum of the Montenuovo princes built in neo‑Romanesque style in Bóly, Baranya County.

Description

The construction of the mausoleum was ordered in the will of Wilhelm von Montenuovo, Prince, imperial cavalry general, and his wife, Countess Batthyány‑Strattmann Julianna (1827–1871). Its construction began in 1879, after General Montenuovo’s retirement (1878). It was built between 1879 and 1894 according to the plans of the Austrian architect Carl Gangolf Kayser (1837–1895). The distinctive mausoleum, which is in neo‑Romanesque style and whose artistic training is rare, is located on the right side of the road leading from Bóly to Mohács.

The entrance door is flanked on both sides by four deep‑red and snow‑white marble columns, and the columns each hold a relief group. The sanctuary is visible opposite the entrance, with a red marble altar in its centre. Behind it stands a huge wooden crucifix of human size, carved by the German‑Bóly woodcarver artist Martin Bach.

In the forecourt the choir, the transept and the dome are supported by a single marble column.

In the tombs created in the walls of the building, members of the Montenuovo family are buried.