Jakab-hegy Remete Cave

The Remete Cave of Jakab Hill was a small-sized cave that opened near the Zsongor stone at the southern slope of Jakab Hill in Kővágószőlős, which is in the Danube–Drava National Park. It formed in limestone and therefore was special among Hungarian caves.

Description

On one of the rocks of the upper level of Zsongor stone, at approximately 560 meters above sea level, practically on the southwestern edge of Jakab Hill, about 400 meters southwest of the ruins of the Pálos monastery, its entrance was located.

The cave had an impassable-sized opening.

It also occurs in literature under the names Jakabhegyi 1. Kőfülke, Jakab-hegyi 1. sz. kőfülke (Kordos 1984), Jakab-hegyi artificial cave (Eszterhás 1998), Jakabhegyi artificial cave (Szabó Pál 1961), Jakabhegyi Remete Cave (Bertalan 1976), Remete-cave (Gaál 1944), Remete cave (Szabó Pál 1961) and Remetecave (Kiss 1918). The cave cadastral number: 4120-171.

Formation

Cseri Dezső considered it of tectonic origin. According to Koch László, besides the fissure widening and dissolution of the binding material, human intervention probably also helped its formation. Eszterhás István did not see it as artificial; he thought it more likely that stones that fell from the ceiling were removed by people. Cseri Rezső's view was accepted, with the addition that along the fault planes the cavity was enlarged by incisional rock removal.

Research History

The 1918 publication titled Mecseki útmutató states that in front of Zsongor stone there is the Remete Cave, which was the dwelling of a hermit who previously lived there. According to a publication in the 1925 journal Turisták Lapja, the rock column is located 200 meters below the lookout tower built on Jakab Hill. The 1926 book Pécs and the Mecsek detailed guide repeated the 1918 information.

In the study by Zoltán Szabó Pál published in the 1935 Geographical Communications, a map of Jakab-hegy is shown, on which hermit caves are marked near the summit. The study states that next to Zsongor-kő there is the Hermit Cave, which is carved into solid limestone, as well as a cavity two metres wide, three metres long and 1.6 metres high. A ravine surrounds it. It is unlikely that hermits made it, because the cavity is much older. To the east, directly beside it, a larger one has already collapsed. To the west, slightly farther away, Szabó Pál also found one collapsed. It may have been a watchpost of the ravine's people, because fire signals lit on the Croatian mountains could be observed best from here.

In the book *A Mecsek részletes kalauza* published in 1939 it is written that at the 102nd road sign, the tourist trail marked 5 leads left, southward, past the Hermit Cave to Zsongor-kő.

In the 1940 issue of the journal Pannónia there is a map that marks the location of Remete Cave and the text states that for the Celtic guard three cavities were carved into the limestone. Two have already collapsed among these, but the third, Remete Cave, is still standing. In the 1942 volume of Országjárás it was mentioned that one of the caves of the Mecsek is the Remete Cave on Jakab Hill. In the 1944 book titled Szép magyar tájak it reads that visitors to Jakab Hill, romantic people from Pécs, might be interested in the mysterious Remete Cave located in front of the Zsongor Stone limestone rocks. In the 1961 issue of the magazine Turista it is written that the slightly draughty cave provides protection against the biting wind, and according to a story a hermit once had a dwelling there. Great care must be taken with the girls, because another belief holds that the girl who passes through the cave will get married in that same year. The photograph attached to the article shows the entrance of the cave.

In the 1961 Karst and Cave Research a map of the Western Mecsek was published, which marks the location of the artificial Jakabhegy Cave and, according to the publication, the Remete Cave of undetermined age by excavation is located on the top of Jakab Hill, artificially made in Permian red limestone. In the study by Áron Jámbor published in the 1964 Karst and Cave, a map sketch of Jakab Hill can be seen, based on the map of Pál Zoltán Szabó published in 1935, on which artificial cavities are marked. One of these is probably the Jakabhegy Remete Cave. In the manuscript titled *Hungary Cave Gazetteer* completed in 1976 it reads that the Remete Cave in the Mecsek Mountains, located in Kővágószőlős, has another name: Jakabhegyi Remetebarlang. Between the Jakab Hill lookout and Zsongor Stone, next to the tourist path leading to the lookout, under limestone layers, at about 350 m above sea level, is its entrance. A 3 m long, 2 m wide and 1.6 m high artificial passage chamber in Permian limestone. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on four publications.

In the cave name index of the Hungarian speleology bibliography, published in 1976 and written by Bertalan Károly and Schőnviszky László, the artificial cavity located on Jakab-hegy in the Mecsek Mountains is mentioned under the name Remete Cave. The cave name index lists five literary works that deal with the cavity. In the national cave list of the book *Caves of Hungary*, which appeared in 1984, the Jakab-hegy Remete Cave is listed as two separate caves among the caves of the Mecsek Mountains. One cave is named Jakab-hegy 1st stone cell and its name variant is Jakabhegy artificial cave. The other cave is named Remete Cave and its name variant is Jakabhegy Remete Cave. Related to the list, a 1:500 000 scale map showing the geographic locations of the caves of the Mecsek Mountains and the Villányi Mountains displays the geographic locations of the two caves.