St. John the Baptist Cathedral (, ) is one of the most significant historic monuments of

Trnava Trnava (, , ; , also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat o ...

, western

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

History

The Cathedral is the first purely Baroque building built in present-day Slovakia. It is part of a complex of academical buildings of a university (now

Pázmány Péter Catholic University Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE) ( (''PPKE'')) is a private university in and near Budapest, Hungary, belonging to the Catholic Church in Hungary, Catholic Church and recognized by the state. While PPKE takes its name after an insti ...

and

Eötvös Loránd University Eötvös Loránd University (, ELTE, also known as ''University of Budapest'') is a Hungarian public research university based in Budapest. Founded in 1635, ELTE is one of the largest and most prestigious public higher education institutions in ...

, in Budapest since 1777) founded in 1635 by cardinal

Péter Pázmány Péter Pázmány de Panasz, S.J. (, ; ; ; ; 4 October 1570 – 19 March 1637), was a Hungarian Jesuit who was a noted philosopher, theologian, cardinal, pulpit orator and statesman. He was an important figure in the Counter-Reformation ...

. The donor of this Cathedral, Miklós Eszterházy, entrusted its construction to the Italian masters Antonio and Pietro Spazzi in 1629. The not-yet-finished cathedral was consecrated in 1637. The single-nave two-tower Cathedral with straight seal of sanctuary has a west aspect and is about in length and in width. Above its main portal there is a shield with figures of seated angels and the stoned crest of the

Esterházy family The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy (), is a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, durin ...

. The interior of the Cathedral amazes a visitor with its massiveness and variety of unique paintings. The main area has barrel vaults with lunettes, while in the chapels on both sides of nave can be found cloister vaults. The biggest treasure of the whole interior is the colossal main altar which was finished in 1640. On its realisation participated besides the Austrian master B. Knilling and V. Knoth also V. Stadler from Trnava and master Ferdinand from

Cífer Cífer is a municipality (village) in the Trnava District, Slovakia. It has a population of 4,610. Archaeological finds from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Roman Period, and early Slavic period have been made in the village. The first written mention ...

. The altar is high and wide and is one of the biggest altars of its kind in Europe. The painters and stuccoer's decoration of the interior is the work of artists G. B. Rossa, G. Tornini and P. Conti. The ceiling’s paintings are by the north Italian painters F. I. Grafenstein and C. Ricchi (Source Dr. Medvecky, 2008). The church doesn’t hold only spiritual functions; there were many theological treatises and graduations. Very interesting also are the catacombs with graves. In December 1978 Pope John Paul II established the church as the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Trnava. The name of the archdiocese was changed in 1995 to the Archdiocese of Bratislava-Trnava and in 2008 changed back to the Archdiocese of Trnava.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited the cathedral on November 9, 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John the Baptist Cathedral, Trnava Roman Catholic churches completed in 1640 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Slovakia Roman Catholic cathedrals in Slovakia Buildings and structures in Trnava Churches in Trnava Region 1640 establishments in Europe Trnava, St John the Baptist Cathedral Trnava, St John the Baptist Cathedral

History

See also

References