Emese Egedi-Kovács received an award from France

03.10.2025.

Emese Egedi-Kovács, francophone scholar at ELTE, received the rank of Knight in the French Order of Academic Palms for her outstanding achievements in combining research and teaching. The award was presented by Jonathan Lacôte, Ambassador of France.

ELTE’s Eötvös József Collegium, a historical partner of the École normale supérieure, continues to maintain close ties with French scientific and academic life through joint projects, student mobility, and international conferences, such as the “Byzantium and the West” series.

Emese Egedi-Kovács is a Byzantinologist, researcher in Old French and classical philology, head of the Aurélien Sauvageot French Workshop at ELTE’s Eötvös József Collegium, head of the humanities workshop at the ELTE Márton Áron College for Advanced Studies, and a member of the Homonoia–Hellenological Research Centre. Her main research areas include Byzantine literature and its reception in medieval France, Old French and Latin philology. She is a member of both French (Rennes 2, Paris III) and Hungarian research groups and participates in several international projects. She has received multiple Bolyai, OTKA, and Eötvös scholarships; in 2021 she was awarded the MTA Bolyai Plaque, and in 2023 the Aurélien Sauvageot Memorial Medal.

Through her work on medieval French and Occitan manuscripts, she has gained recognition as both a teacher and a medievalist. Alongside her leadership roles, she has taught French language and culture to generations of students for many years. As proof of her exceptional dedication and love for the French language, she recently became president of the Hungarian–French Youth Foundation (MAFIA), a key partner of the French Embassy and the French Institute in Hungary, which each year hosts around thirty young French graduates who teach French throughout the country.

The Order of Academic Palms, founded by Napoleon, is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to French culture and education. The prestigious distinction was presented by Ambassador Jonathan Lacôte at the French Residence during a ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of French language teaching in Hungary, honoring Emese Egedi-Kovács’s distinguished career combining research and teaching.