On the obverse of the seal is the triangular shield of the House of Árpád, cut seven times in red and silver (eight bars), first used by Andrew II in the early 13th century, with vines in bunches on both sides and above. The royal coat of arms, in keeping with the custom of the time, indicates the royal protection of the town.
The circular inscription between two rows of pearls reads + SIGIL[LV]M • NOUI • CASTRI • PESTIENSIS, i.e. ‘the seal of the new castle(s) of Pest’. Buda was also called Pest, to which the king had resettled the inhabitants of Pest after the Tartar invasion – hence the name New Pest – who took their privilege letters and city seals with them. The name of the town castle was common in those days.
The reverse of the seal shows three towers with a gable wall and an arched gateway at the top. The three towers indicated the seat of the bishopric. The trio of towers became a dominant element of Buda’s coat of arms in the Middle Ages, and when the capital united in 1873 it was incorporated into the coat of arms of Budapest, thus becoming part of the coat of arms currently in use.
The reverse also bears the inscription + S(IGILLVM) • HAC • SVB • CONCLAVI • PEST • CASTRI • VERBA • SERACI, i.e. ‘The words under this unlocked key [seal] of Pest Castle’. Hexameter leonine verse form, i.e. the middle of the verse rhymes with the end.
