A humanista plébános, az asztrológus főbíró és a fejedelmi diplomata háza
The House of Humanist Parson, of Astrologer Mayor and of Princely Diplomat

Summary/Abstract: The most representative monument of Renaissance architecture in Cluj/Kolozsvár is the Wolphard-Kakas house. A Gothic building with cellars and ground-floor consisting of three premises was transformed beginning with the constructions of the last Catholic parson of Cluj/Kolozsvár for the Reformation, former student of Wien and Bologna, Adrian Wolphard (1491-1544) and continued by his nephew Stephen, former student of Wittenberg, a famous astrologer mayor of Cluj (1533/1534-1585/1586) and finalized by his successor, diplomat of Transylvanian Principality in England, Polen and Rudolphian Prague, Stephen Kakas (1561-1603), former student of Bologna and Padova. All the three of them contributed to the enlargement and decoration of the house, which was considered to be the most beautiful and valuable building of the town in 1603. The decorations of the so-called zodiac-room, was inspired from the cuttings of John Honterus, humanist and Lutheran reformer of Transsylvania, printed in Basel in 1541 and 1551. The orderer, Stephen included the coat-of-arms of King Matthias “Corvinus” (1458-1490), the great son of Cluj/Kolozsvár into the series of zodiac signs carved in the consoles. His interest for astrology is illustrated by his two sundials carved in stone too.

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