St. Martin's Cathedral
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The St. Martin's Cathedral (Slovak: Katedrála sv. Martina, Dóm sv. Martina, formerly Konkatedrála sv. Martina, Hungarian: Szent Márton-dóm, or Koronázó templom) is a cathedral in Slovakia's capital, Bratislava. The cathedral, dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, is situated at the western border of the historical city center below Bratislava Castle. It is the largest and finest, as well as one of the oldest churches in Bratislava, known especially for previously being the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary. Currently, it is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Bratislava. From 1995 to February 2008 it was the concathedral of the Archdiocese of Bratislava-Trnava.
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[edit] Structure and shape
- It is composed of three naves.
- Size: 69.37 m x 22.85 m x 16.02 m (L x W x H)
- The tower is 85 m high and was originally part of the medieval city fortifications.
- The shape of the cathedral symbolizes a crucifix; the nave represents Christ's body, and the presbytery represents the inclined head.
[edit] Construction history
Construction began in the early 14th century on the site of an older Romanesque church and old cemetery. The construction didn't finish until 1452 due to the construction and financial reasons, and construction was even halted due to the Hussite Wars. In 1452, the church was roofed over and consecrated, however, the construction works continued throughout 15th and 16th century:
- a new long presbytery was built in 1461-1497
- the Gothic chapels of Czech Queen Sofia and of Saint Anne were added in the 15th century
- the Baroque Chapel of St. John the Merciful (Sv. Ján Almužník) was completed in the first half of the 18th century by Georg Rafael Donner
- The famous Baroque equestrian sculpture of St. Martin by Georg Rafael Donner was added in 1744.[1]
- In 1760, the top of the Gothic tower was struck by lightning 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 from 1869 to 1877, when it was re-Gothicised after suffering damage by fire, war, earthquake and other disasters.
[edit] Coronations
The cathedral became the coronation church of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1563, succeeding the Virgin Mary Church in Székesfehérvár, once Székesfehérvár was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. On 8 September 1563 the Crown of St. Stephen was placed on the head of Maximilian II, son of Emperor Ferdinand I of Habsburg. In toto, the coronations of 11 kings and queens plus 9 of their consorts took place here between 1563 and 1830, including that of Maria Theresa of Austria.
[edit] Crown of St. Stephen
The tower is topped by huge gold-plated representation of the Crown of St. Stephen. It was placed in 1847 following the recovery of the damaged tower, to commemorate the cathedral's glory and importance as a coronation church. It weighs 300 kg, measures over 1 m in diameter, and rests on a 2 x 2 m gold-plated pillow. A total of 8 kg of gold was required to construct the crown and pillow.
[edit] Catacombs and sepulchres
Since the cathedral was built over an old cemetery, there are large catacombs up to 6 m below the St. Anna Chapel which contain the sepulchers of many significant figures, such as ecclesiastic dignitaries, members of the Pálffy dynasty, presidents of the historic Pressburg county as well as J. I. Bajza (the author of the first Slovak novel). The last burial took place in 1895.
[edit] Current state
Today, the church is slowly deteriorating, and is endangered by vibrations caused by heavy traffic on the access ramp to the nearby bridge, Nový Most. However, restoration efforts began in 1997.
[edit] Additional information
- It is one of two Slovak Gothic minsters.
- Beethoven's Missa Solemnis was played for the first time in this church.
[edit] References
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