The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and its Liturgical Museum can be found in the
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
of
Miskolc
Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...
(7 Deák square.)
The church was built between 1785 and 1806 in
Zopf style. Its furniture is also in Zopf style, from the late 18th century. It is a listed historic monument. The church houses an
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...
16 m high, with 88 pictures of the life of
Jesus
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
. The
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
iconostasis was carved in the workshop of Miklós Jankovits of
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...
, the pictures (with the exception of four of them) were painted by Anton Kuchelmeister of
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. The copy of the Akhtyrka Icon of the Mother of God was a gift from Empress
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...
.
The Orthodox believers already had a small chapel in the early 18th century (St. Naum Chapel), which stood on today's Széchenyi street. The building of the church was decided in the second part of the century. Originally they planned to build a large church with an
onion dome
An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate (drum) upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. They taper smoothly upwards to a point.
It is a typical ...
, designed by Johannes Michart, but it was opposed by the (mainly Protestant) leaders of the city and by those who were accustomed to the more conservative artistic styles of the period. It was finally decided that the church would be built according to the design by Johann Michael Schajdlet. The interior is divided into three parts: entrance hall,
naos, and sanctuary.
A school (1805), a hospital and a parsonage were also built next to the church. The churchyard also served as a burial place, several of the marble tombstones are still there.
The ''Orthodox Liturgical Museum of Hungary'' houses the richest Orthodox liturgical collection of Hungary. The museum was opened in the building of the former school in 1988. Its permanent exhibition shows the history and arts of the Orthodox Church and schools. The first room resembles a chapel, recalling the atmosphere of Greek chapels where believers worshiped before large Baroque churches were built. In the second room visitors can see goldsmith's work and liturgical clothes, while in the third room the icon collection is exhibited.
External links
Hungarian Orthodox Museum
Museums in Miskolc{{in lang, en, sk, de, hu, ru, pl
Churches in Miskolc
Museums in Miskolc
Religious museums in Hungary
Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Hungary
Churches completed in 1806
19th-century churches in Hungary