PHOTOS: Budapest’s celestial guardian angel at Heroes’ Square to be removed and restored

Archangel Gabriel, Budapest’s guardian angel, has been looking over some of the most beautiful parts of the capital for 123 years. Standing vigil for more than a century and witnessing history from the creation of the Heroes’ Square to the fall of Communism, the statue of the celestial being needs revamp due to its deteriorated state. Based on the plans, he will continue to watch over the city from next spring.

The Millenium Monument of the Heroes’ Square is one of the emblematic places in Hungary where many tourists pay a visit and take some selfies. The monument depicts some of the turning points of the Hungarian history in the Carpathian basin, from its conquest to the 1848-1849 freedom fight.

Photo: depositphotos.com

Watching over the square from the top of a Corinthian column is the artistic masterpiece of György Zala, the statue of Archangel Gabriel. Gabriel holds in its right hand the Holy Crown of Hungary while in the left, there is the Patriarchal cross, just as in the legendary dream of Saint Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary who – based on the legend – received the Holy Crown from the pope.

The restoration of the 123-year-old sculpture began in July and will last 6-12 months depending on the internal state of the masterpiece. Though it is hard to measure its size from below, the statue is almost five metres high and has not undergone a major renovation since its installation in 1901 due to a lack of money. Moreover, it has not been removed from the top of the Corinthian column ruling over the square and the nearby buildings, including some embassies and the headquarters of Orbán’s Fidesz party.

The scaffolded Heroes’ Square. Photo: MTI

Budapest’s guardian angel to be removed soon

Városliget Ltd. already scaffolded the statue and the column. Thus, experts could start their inspection and 3D scanning. As a result, we would have a detailed database of the damages. 24.hu could not say when Budapest’s guardian angel would be removed from its Corinthian pedestal.

Photo: MTI

The Corinthian column hosting the statue is 36 meters tall, the archangel statue was placed on the top on 24 October 1901. Between 1995 and 1996, preparing for the millecentenary (Conquest of the Carpathian Basin – 896), the government repaired the statue’s surface but lacked the money to carry out structural restorations. In 2021, before the International Eucharistic Congress, the statue was cleaned. That is when experts found the damage to the copper sculpture.

Photo: MTI

Read also:

• The symbolic meaning of the Heroes’ Square in Budapest – PHOTOS and more HERE
• Did you know?! – 5 interesting facts about Budapest’s iconic spot, the Heroes’ Square