Franciscan church and monastery - Szecseny

In a well-kept park, to the north-west of the castle stands the large church.
The Franciscan Church and Monastery, begun as a result of the Pope's permission in 1332 to accommodate twelve mendicant monks, are probably the most magnificent monuments in the town. Although the present baroque exterior, suggesting power, is the result of several reconstructions and renovations between the end of the 17th and the middle of the 18th century, for some of its details it is also considered to be one of the most significant Gothic monuments in Hungary.
The octagonal pillar in the middle of the sacristy that remains from the old building of the monastery, the ribs starting out from the pillar, the keystones and corbel blocks, the rosettes and the carved animal and human figures, the finely worked saints and angels, are all from the mid-14th century, masterpieces of an architect and stone-dresser of several centuries ago.
Rakoczi once prayed in the Gothic oratory above the sacristy. The abutments of the apse, its lanceted windows, ostensory alcove and the triple sedile are all of value.
One interesting detail evokes the Turkish era. The mihrab (sedile) on the Southern side is the Northernmost relic of Turkish architecture to be found in Hungary. It proves that the Turks had used the church for their own purposes while they were here.
The building was returned to the Franciscans in 1989.
The monastry was built between 1694 and 1734 with an arched cloister and a closed courtyard.