The Votive Church and Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary ( hu, Szegedi dóm 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. Spires are ...

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 ( hu, szegedi dóm), which lies on the s ...

beside the

Dömötör tower Dömötör or Domotor may refer to *Dömötör Tower in Szeged, Hungary *Dömötör-Kolompár criminal organization in Canada *Dörmögő Dömötör, a fictional bear *Louis Domotor (born 1943), Canadian farmer and political figure *Mihály Dömöt� ...

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

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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

Roman Catholic Diocese of Szeged–Csanád The Roman Catholic Diocese of Szeged–Csanád ( la, Dioecesis Szegediensis–Csanadiensis) is a diocese located in the cities of Szeged and Csanád in the Ecclesiastical province of Kalocsa-Kecskemét in Hungary. The diocesan cathedral is the ...

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 may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

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 ( hu, szegedi dóm), which lies on the s ...

Szeged, which is exactly the same size as

Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; vec, Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (exc ...

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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

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

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, the protector of Hungary since Stephen I. 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 Disciple (Christianity), disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. Dur ...

. 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 (plural ''frescos'' 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 plaste ...

, with the main one being "Our Lady of Hungary" behind the main altar. It depicts Madonna wearing the

Hungarian Crown The Hungarian Crown ( pl, Korona Węgierska) was a part of the Polish Crown Jewels. It was made in the 16th century, resembling the Crown of Saint Stephen, as a private crown of John II Sigismund Zápolya. History The original Hungarian Regalia ...

; 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 For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is believed to be the third person of the Trinity, a Triune God manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each entity itself being God.Grud ...

but also contains depictions of St. Stephen, St. Elisabeth, 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 churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

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