The history of Pécs stretches back more than 2,000 years. The southern city is located in what is known as the “Hungarian Mediterranean" and has been continuously inhabited since the Roman era, when Pécs and its environs were known as Sopianae. Previous civilizations have left behind some remarkable historical relics, the various cultures running consecutively and at times parallel to one another.
The remains of the late Roman Paleochristian cemetery, which survived the upheavals of the great migrations and the Middle Ages, are located in the north-western part of today's city centre, around Pécs Cathedral. Sopianae was established as a small settlement in the 2nd century AD in a favourable location and climate at the crossing of north-south trade routes at the foot of Mecsek Mountain. By the end of the 3rd century AD the settlement had developed and was raised to the rank of city. By the turn of the century Sopianae was one of the four territorial centres of the Roman province of Pannonia. Sopianae was the administrative centre of the Valeria territory, from where the governor (praese) directed Pannonia.

Christianity in the Roman Empire

Christianity spread from its cradle in the Middle-East to Europe during the Roman era. The first Christians appeared in Italy in the 1st century AD. Later, during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, Christians arrived in greater numbers from the Eastern provinces to settle in European provinces, including Pannonia. The main causes of this migration were trade and the wars being fought in Eastern provinces. With an ideological and intellectual shift taking place, part of Sopianae's population became followers and disseminators of the previously unknown Christian religion. By the end of the 4th century AD, the teachings of Jesus were well-known and Christianity had attracted a wide group of believers.
The early part of Christian history (the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD) was an age of religious persecution. The Edict of Milan of 313 AD, however, proclaimed religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire. The signing of the Edict by Emperor Constantine - who also converted to Christianity - allowed Christians to practise their religion freely for the first time. This contributed to the consolidation of Christian congregations, and from this time onwards the life of Christian communities can be traced through archaeological relics. In Hungary these relics are mostly burial-related architectural objects, and numerous examples can be found in the Roman cemetery on Szent István ter, Pécs, and in the immediate vicinity.
Sopianae's Paleochristian community erected a significant number of burial buildings (chapels, crypts, built graves) in its cemetery in 4th century AD. Apart from some Italian necropoleis, the archaeological heritage of the Sopianae Paleochristian Cemetery is of the greatest importance. Excavations in the city and cemetery have been taking place for 200 years. Sopianae's vast cemetery is situated on the slope of Mecsek Mountain, north of the Roman settlement. A typical feature of 4th century AD Christian cemeteries is that they are established outside but always close to Roman settlements.
The first crypt was discovered at the beginning of the 18th century in the yard of today's Louis the Great Secondary School. Unfortunately, only early records inform us of this event and the crypt no longer exists. The first Paleochristian building to be excavated which has survived to the present day is the Peter-Paul crypt, discovered in 1782. The excavation of the latest find - the Octagonal crypt - started in 2000. In the 218 intervening years, 16 crypts, hundreds of graves and thousands of late Roman relics have been unearthed. Three of the crypts (Korsós crypt, Paleochristian Mausoleum and the Paleochristian Tomb-chapel on Apáca utca) are currently open to the public, while the Peter-Paul crypt is expected to be re-opened in 2009. Seven of the buildings are temporarily closed for protection and preservation. Five of the crypts are decorated with frescos and the excavation of Crypt V, the Octagonal crypt, is still in progress.
The figurative and ornamental mural painting of the crypts can only be compared to the catacomb paintings of Rome. On the walls of the crypts, the Paleochristian symbols (Christogram, pigeon, jug and glass) and biblical scenes (the apostles Peter and Paul, Adam and Eve, David in the lion's den, the Three Magi, Jonah, Mary and the baby Jesus) are close analogies of those known in the catacombs of Rome. The jug and the glass are either the symbol of the funeral feast or the Eucharist (Holy Sacrament). The Christogram refers to the personal presence of Jesus, and appears in several pictures and on jewels, rings and earrings found in the graves.

The Paleochristian buildings in Pécs differ from similar sites in the Balkans and other European provinces: among the burial buildings of Sopianae there are two-storey buildings constructed for a dual purpose: as burial places and as chapels for ceremonies. The crypts, chapels and mausoleum discovered in Pécs form a complex with a unique architectural appearance, while the extraordinary biblical mural paintings bear witness to a culture and civilization which continue to influence our society even today.

The Paleochristian Cemetery of Pécs (Sopianae) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 due to the architectural and artistic significance of the tombs and murals uncovered. The mural paintings of the complex bring us closer to the late Roman mind and allow us to see that as Christianity spread and became universal, so this new religion yielded unique works of art. The Sopianae Paleochristian Cemetery is extraordinary proof of an historical continuity spanning from the 4th century AD through the stormy centuries of the great migration to the conquest of Hungary by the Huns. Throughout these upheavals Pécs remained a Christian holy place, as expressed in the founding of the episcopate, and as such the city is closely linked to the Christian mentality and the foundation of the Hungarian state. The Paleochristian historical relics are both local and universal, but certainly provide a unique insight into the burial cult of the first millennium and the awakening of a new religion. The number and variety of Paleochristian remains in Pécs are unrivalled by any of the other European provinces of the Western Roman Empire. The mural paintings with their biblical and other religious scenes and Paleochristian symbols are masterpieces of late Roman Paleochristian art.