Belgrade, 22 July, 2012 – János Hunyadi, the Hungarian nobleman who defeated Sultan Mehmet II by Belgrade in 1456 will have a full body bronze statue to replace his modest memorial stone in this city’s Kalemegdan fortress, said the vice speaker of the Hungarian Parliament Sandor Lezsak

Lezsák spoke at noon when bells toll in all Catholic churches of the world in memory of the 1456 victory, and in front of Hunyadi’s Kalemegdan memorial made of a large slab of white stone. He expressed hope the day would come when European Parliament turns July 22, the day of triumph over Ottoman invaders, into a European memorial day for the defence of Christendom. He suggested collection of funds should start as soon as possible to pay for Hunyadi’s statue. 

Lezsák visited Belgrade with 34 members of the „Hunyadi pilgrimage,” consisting mainly of Hungarian and ethnic Hungarian primary and secondary school children from the Carpathian basin who won a ’Hunyadi contest’ organized by a People’s College back in Lezsak’s native Lakitelek. 

Oskar Nikowitz, Hungarian Ambassador in Belgrade and Karoly Dudas, the President of the Hungarian Cultural Association of Vojvodina also spoke to the participants of the pilgrimage assessing the historical importance of the victory 556 years ago.