Servita Apartment

LYCEUM, KAROLY ESZTERHAZY COLLEGE (FOISKOLA), EGER

The structure of the Lyceum built in the second half of the 1700's follows a Baroque style. Its facades are mostly decorated with Rococo ornamentation except for the main facade facing the Basilica, influenced by upcoming Neo-Classicism.

Stepping through the main facade's large threefold gate, we enter into an oval hall and to a twin staircase.

On the first floor the ceremonial hall opens in front of the main staircase. The hall is decorated with frescos by Franz Sigrist allegorising the four faculties of the college. The faculty of law is symbolised by the statue of Justice and the High Court (Excelsa Tabula Septemviralis); the faculty of philosophy with geological surveyors and with the symbols of astronomy, military and political geography; the medical faculty with images of an autopsy and healing; the theology faculty with images of high priests, angels, the heavens and other allegoric images.

The library is located in the great hall of the south wing. From the floor to the ceiling its walls are clad with late Rococo bookshelves.

The fresco on the ceiling depicts the Council of Trent. The shelves are decorated with oval medallions ornamented with leaves and with relief portraits of writers and scientists. Alongside the other books, 700 manuscripts and codices and 87 incunabula with several unique volumes amongst them can be found in the library catalogue. The frescoes on the ceiling of the chapel were painted by Anton Maulbertsch in 1793.

In this building called the Lyceum teaching began in 1793. Over time it has had a law faculty, a lyceum, and a teacher training college. Since 1949 it has been a teacher training college bearing the name of its commissioning bishop Károly Eszterházy.