According to President Sulyok, the Szeged Cathedral and Dome Square represent a special value in the life and thought of the nation

At the unveiling of the stele marking the declaration of the Szeged Cathedral and the square as a national memorial on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kuno Klebelsberg, Dr. Tamás Sulyok stated that "The sky-high Cathedral and the huge square have grown dear to our hearts, the hearts of the people of Szeged." The square embodies sacredness, science and culture all at once. The height of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary commands respect. Under the arcades of the Dome Square, in the National Pantheon, stand the statues of our scientists and artists, testifying to the achievements of the Hungarian people, while the surrounding university buildings are bastions of knowledge, said the Head of State.

The history of the cathedral and the square is inscribed with the unshakeable Hungarian will and the hope that lives in the people of Szeged, emphasised Tamás Sulyok. He recalled that the great flood of 1879 destroyed the city, but residents vowed to build a new church. The city had to wait until the end of the world war and the necessary conditions had to be created, but in the end, the votive church was built, and determination prevailed to the glory of God, President Sulyok concluded.

At the same time, following the tragedy of Trianon, the entire nation needed to be reinvigorated, confidence renewed among the shattered Hungarian people, and the incomprehensible injustices and deep pain surmounted. While Hungarian culture, knowledge and spirit were woefully pushed back in the more distant lands, Szeged gained new momentum. Szeged became the new home of the University of Kolozsvár, which had been expelled from Transylvania, and the expelled bishop of Csánad also moved over here.

The most inspiring fire burned in Minister of Culture Kuno Klebelsberg, and Szeged and Hungary owe him a great deal, the Head of State pointed out. In decisive times, starting in the 1920s, faith, knowledge and culture – revitalised in Szeged - the cathedral and the world unfolding around Dome Square played an indispensable role in helping the Hungarians of a crushed and fragmented country recover from the shock, so that "the nation could raise its head again” - emphasised President Sulyok, adding: "This is a legacy of which we can all be proud."