Gymnasium of Cistercian Order of the Louis the Great, Cistercian gymnasium and boarding school on Széchenyi Square, Pécs, Hungary
The Gymnasium of Cistercian Order of the Louis the Great stands on Pécs's main square, Széchenyi Square, in a building begun in 1724 on the site of the former Gázi Kászim Pasha mosque. It houses a six- to eight-class secondary school and a student dormitory run by the Cistercian Order, which took over the school in 1815.
The Jesuits opened their school in Pécs in 1687, after the Turks were expelled, and built the college that still stands. Archbishop György Széchényi of Esztergom donated 50,000 forints in 1694, but construction began only in 1724. After the Jesuit order was dissolved in 1773, the Cistercians took over the school in 1815.
The school's name honours King Louis I the Great, who chose Pécs for Hungary's first university. From 1861 it was one of thirteen secondary schools teaching solely in Hungarian, and in 1862 the Pécsi Líceumi Irodalmi Kör literary circle was founded here for students' self-education.
The building stands on Széchenyi Square and is visible from the street, though internal access may be limited since it remains an active school. The best time to view the exterior and architecture is outside regular school hours.
The school occupies the site of the former Gázi Kászim Pasha Mosque, which the Jesuits acquired in the years after 1687. The mosque itself was later converted for school use, and the present building was constructed from 1724 onward.
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