 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "St Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| St Martin's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
 | |
 St Martin's Cathedral | |
| Location | Old Town,Bratislava |
| Address | Dóm sv. Martina Rudnayovo námestie No. 1 |
| Country |  Slovakia |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral Coronation church (1563–1830) |
| Dedication | Martin of Tours |
| Consecrated | 1452 |
| Relics held | Remains of John the Merciful |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Cultural Heritage Monument of Slovakia |
| Designated | 11 November 2002 |
| Architectural type | Fortified church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Nave length | 69.37 m (227 ft 7 in) |
| Nave width | 22.85 m (75 ft 0 in) |
| Nave height | 16.02 m (52 ft 7 in) |
| Number of towers | 1 |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Spire height | 85 m (278 ft 10 in) |
| Bells | 8 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Bratislava |
St Martin's Cathedral (Slovak:Katedrála svätého Martina orDóm svätého Martina,Hungarian:Szent Márton-dóm orKoronázó templom,German:Kathedrale des Heiligen Martin) is achurch inBratislava,Slovakia, and thecathedral of theArchdiocese of Bratislava.
It is situated at the western border of thehistorical city center belowBratislava Castle. It is the largest and one of the oldest churches in Bratislava, known especially for being thecoronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830.
Together with the castle on the hill adjacent, and somewhat similar in its striking, but fairly stark Gothic lines and colouring, St Martin's tower and spire, at 85 metres (278 ft 10 in), dominates Old Town's skyline. The tower virtually formed a part of the town's fortifications, built as it was into the city's defensive walls.
As with the castle, the surroundings of St Martin's are as memorable as the structure itself. In the cathedral's case, this includes the picturesque remains of outbuildings in a spacious staired courtyard, and a working seminary with robed students on a cobblestone side-street.
A small but significant neighbour of the cathedral is a monument to the synagogue, which stood next door for centuries until the Communist government demolished it around 1970 to make room for a new bridge,Nový Most. The cathedral contains the remains of SaintJohn the Merciful who died in the early 7th century.
Thenave of the structure consists of three aisles divided by two rows of eight columns. The nave is 69.37 metres (227 ft 7 in) by 22.85 metres (75 ft 0 in) with a maximum height of 16.02 m (52.6 ft). The tower is 85 metres (278 ft 10 in) high and at one time was part of the medievalcity fortifications.[1] The cathedral is constructed as traditionalcruciformbasilica.
Together with the castle on the hill adjacent, and somewhat similar in its striking but fairly stark Gothic lines and colouring, St Martin's spire dominates Old Town's skyline.
As with the castle, the surroundings of St Martin's are as memorable as the structure itself. The cathedral sits amid picturesque remains of outbuildings in a spacious stepped courtyard, and a working seminary with robed students on a cobblestoned side-street. The spire is capped by a replica of theHungarian Crown resting on a gilded pillow.
The altar is dominated by an equestrian statue group depictingSt Martin in a typicalHungarian hussar dress. The saint is dividing his cloak to give part to a beggar as protection from the cold.
Long before the construction of the cathedral, the site had been the crossroads and contained the former centre of the town, a market and probably also a chapel. Worship services were held atBratislava Castle, where the chapter and provost's office had their seat. As the visits became less bearable and the castle's safety was threatened, KingEmeric of Hungary requested thePope Innocent III for permission to relocate the provost's office into forecastle, and the pope assented in 1204. The church was relocated in 1221, and was originally built inRomanesque style and dedicated to the Holy Saviour.
As the town grew into a city and received additional privileges in 1291, the sanctuary became insufficient for its needs. Construction of a new Gothic cathedral began in 1311 on the site of the earlier church and an adjacent cemetery.[1]
Construction continued until 1452 due to the difficulty of construction and lack of funding. For a period in the early fifteenth century, construction halted due to theHussite Wars. In 1452, the church was finally completed and consecrated, however, work continued until the sixteenth century. During this period, a new longpresbytery and theGothic chapels of CzechQueen Sofia and ofSaint Anne were added in the 15th century.[citation needed]
Eighteenth century additions to the sanctuary include theBaroque Chapel ofJohn the Merciful, and serves as a mausoleum. It was constructed at the price of 2000 pieces of gold at the expense ofCardinalEmeric Esterházy and the famousBaroque equestrian sculpture ofSt Martin was added in 1744. Both works were designed byGeorg Rafael Donner[2]
In 1760, the top of the Gothic tower was struck bylightning and later replaced by a Baroque one, which was subsequently destroyed by fire in 1835 and reconstructed in 1847 (with some modifications), and topped by the crown of St Stephen(see below).
The church attained its present-day appearance during the period 1869 to 1877, when it was re-Gothicised after suffering damage by fire, war,earthquake and other disasters.[citation needed]
The cathedral became thecoronation church of thesovereigns of theKingdom of Hungary in 1563, succeeding theBasilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary inSzékesfehérvár, after theOttoman Empire conquered that city. On 8 September 1563, theCrown of St Stephen was placed on the head ofMaximilian II, son ofEmperor Ferdinand I ofHabsburg. In total, the coronations of eleven kings and queens, plus eight of their consorts occurred here between 1563 and 1830, includingMaria Theresa of Austria.
List of crowned kings/queens and of their consorts, with dates in parentheses:[3]
|
|
The tower is topped by agold-plated replica of the Crown of St Stephen. It was placed in 1847 following restoration of the damaged tower, to commemorate the cathedral's importance as a coronation church. It weighs 150 kilograms (330 lb 11 oz), measures over 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in diameter, and rests on a 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) by 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) gold-plated pillow and stands 1.64 metres (5 ft 5 in) high. The pillow and crown contain a total of 8 kilograms (17 lb 10 oz) of gold and were restored in August 2010.[citation needed]
Since the cathedral was built over acemetery, it containscatacombs of unknown length andcrypts holding thesepulchres of many significant historical figures, up to 6 metres (19 ft 8 in) below the church. To date, three crypts are known:
Over the centuries, the cathedral's sepulchres filled with many significant figures, such as ecclesiastic dignitaries, presidents of the historicPozsony county as well asJozef Ignác Bajza, the author of thefirst novel in Slovak, but also with dozens of bishops, canons, French priests fleeing theFrench Revolution and many people outside the Catholic Church.
Today, the church is deteriorating due to vibrations caused by heavy traffic on the access ramp to the nearby Nový Most. Restoration efforts began in 1997 and the cathedral has been anational cultural monument since 11 November 2002.
Since 2003, it has hosted theKorunovačné slávnosti (Coronation Feasts) festival which re-enacts the coronation of one of the monarchs crowned in the cathedral. From 1995 to February 2008 it was theco-cathedral of theArchdiocese of Bratislava-Trnava.
Video andPhoto of reconstruction of gold-plated representation of the Crown of St Stephen (in Slovak).
48°08′31.7″N17°06′17.2″E / 48.142139°N 17.104778°E /48.142139; 17.104778
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
.jpg)
