The Votive Church and Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary ( or ''Fogadalmi templom'') is a twin-

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

d church in

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

. It lies on

Dóm square Dóm tér (literally: ''Cathedral Square'') is a large town square in Szeged, Hungary. It is one of the largest squares in Hungary (about 12,000 m2). The name Dóm tér derived from Votive Church of Szeged (), which lies on the square. It was buil ...

beside the

Dömötör tower The Dömötör tower is the oldest building in Szeged, Hungary. The foundation was most probably laid during the 11th century, while the lower part was built (in Romanesque style) from the 12th century, and the upper part (Gothic style) from the 13 ...

. Construction began in 1913, but due to the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, it was not completed until 1930. The church serves as the cathedral of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Szeged–Csanád The Diocese of Szeged–Csanád () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located in the cities of Szeged and Cenad, Csanád in the ecclesiastical province of Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Kecskemét, Kalocsa-Kecskemét in Hungary. The dioces ...

Statistics

It is the fourth-largest church in Hungary. The dome is outside (33 m above the inside floor) and the towers are both high. The church contains five bells, the largest of which is the Heroes Bell which weighs , is tuned to F0 and was made in 1927. It also contains one of the largest

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

s in Europe with 9740 pipes and 134 ranks. The church is located in

Dóm Square Dóm tér (literally: ''Cathedral Square'') is a large town square in Szeged, Hungary. It is one of the largest squares in Hungary (about 12,000 m2). The name Dóm tér derived from Votive Church of Szeged (), which lies on the square. It was buil ...

Szeged, which is exactly the same size as

Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; ), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal Town Square, public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). The Piazzetta ("little Piazza/Square") is an ext ...

in Venice, Italy.

History

Construction of the church began in 1913 after a flood had destroyed most of Szeged. It was designed by Frederick Schulek and was completed in 1930. The construction of the church was a result of a pledge made by the inhabitants of Szeged to build a cathedral after the flood of March 1879. The Commissioner of the King was looking for a place for the church to be built, and decided on the site of the medieval St. Demeter Church. Today all that remains of the church is the

(now the oldest building in Szeged). Thirty-five design plans were submitted in a competition, and in the end the plans were chosen and the foundation was laid on 21 June 1914. The construction was stopped because of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was finally finished on 24 October 1930. It was blessed by various bishops and archbishops. The next day the church held its first mass.

Features

The church is made mostly of brick, and has two towers, each 91 meters high, and a large dome in between.

Front

The front of the church has a Grecian cross and

rose windows Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

underneath. Below that is the 3-metre-tall statue of

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, the protector of Hungary since

Stephen I Stephen I may refer to: *Pope Stephen I, Bishop of Rome from 254 to 257 *Stephen I of Antioch, Patriarch of Antioch from 342 to 344 *Stephen I of Iberia (died 627), of the Guaramid Dynasty, presiding prince of Iberia from c. 590 to 627 *Ecumenical ...

. On each side of the statue there are paintings of the

12 Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and ministr ...

. Underneath them is the main gate and the cathedral's side gates – the one on the right is labeled "Peace"/"Venite adoremus" and the one on the left is "War"/"Vae victis".

Interior

The church has many

frescos Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becom ...

, with the main one being "Our Lady of Hungary" behind the main altar. It depicts Madonna wearing the Hungarian Crown; on her shoulder is St Stephen's coronation mantle, in her right hand is the mace, in her left is the orb, and in her arm is Jesus as a child. Above the main altar is a fresco called "Madonna in Fur of Szöged" by Ferenc Marton which depicts Madonna in a Hungarian folk dress. The dome's fresco was painted by László Patay who later won a Munkacsy Award in 2000. The painting is centered around the procession of the

Holy Ghost Most Christian denominations believe the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, to be the third divine Person of the Trinity, a triune god manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each being God. Nontrinitarian Christians, who ...

but also contains depictions of St. Stephen, St. Elizabeth, St. Leslie, and St. Margaret as well. The main transept contains the Altar of St. Anthony and the Heart of Jesus. In the cathedral's left

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

is the marble Altar of St. Gerard, and statues of St. Gerard and of St. Stephen. The right transept contains the Altar of the St. Cross. Between the towers and the transepts are the side-chapels, which were built in honour of St Leslie, St. Elizabeth, St. Stephen and St Margaret.

References

External links

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Szeged Roman Catholic cathedrals in Hungary Tourist attractions in Csongrád-Csanád County Votive churches Church buildings with domes Roman Catholic churches completed in 1930