The Church of St. Elizabeth ( sk, Kostol svätej Alžbety, hu, Szent Erzsébet templom), commonly known as Blue Church (''Modrý kostolík'', ''Kék templom''), is a Hungarian-Secessionist (Jugendstil, Art Nouveau) Catholic church located in the eastern part of the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, present day Slovakia. It is consecrated to Elisabeth of Hungary, daughter of Andrew II, who grew up in the Pressburg Castle ''(Pozsonyi vár)''. It is referred to as "The Little Blue Church" because of the colour of its façade, mosaics, majolicas and blue-glazed roof. It was initially part of the neighboring gymnázium (high school) and served as the school chapel.

Architecture

The one-nave church was built in 1908-1913, four years after the plans of Ödön Lechner to build a church in the Hungarian Art Nouveau style. The so-called Hungarian secessionist style forms dominate in the church. Lechner also drew plans of the neighbouring gymnázium (high school) and of the vicarage (also in the Hungarian Secessionist style). The ground floor of the church is oval. In the foreground there is a 36.8 metre high cylindrical church tower. At first, a cupola was planned, but was never constructed; instead, a

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

was built, topped by a hip roof. The roof is covered with glazed bricks with decoration, for the purpose of parting. The main and side entrances are enclosed with Romanesque double-pillars, which have an Oriental feeling. Pillars are also located near the windows. The façade was at first painted with light

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

colours. Later the church got its characteristic blue colour. A line of blue tiles and wave-strip encircles the church.

Interior

The interior is richly decorated with

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

s. On the altar there is an illustration of St Elizabeth, depicted giving alms to the poor. A model of the church is in

Mini-Europe Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in ''Bruparck'', at the foot of the Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. Mini-Europe has reproductions of monuments in the European Union and other countries within the continent of Europe on display, at a scale o ...

in Brussels, representing Slovakia.

References

*''Part of the information in this article is based on its German equivalent.'' * {{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Bratislava 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Slovakia Art Nouveau architecture in Slovakia Art Nouveau church buildings 1908 establishments in Austria-Hungary

Architecture

Interior

See also

References