Cathedral of the Visitation (Szombathely)

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Cathedral of the Visitation (2015)

The Cathedral of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary ( Hungarian Sarlós Boldogasszony Székesegyház ) in the Hungarian city ​​of Szombathely is the episcopal church of the Roman Catholic diocese of Szombathely . It is one of the largest churches in Hungary.

History, architecture and furnishings

inside view
The Steinmeyer organ (built in 1915)

With the establishment of a diocese in 1777, the construction of a separate cathedral became necessary. The baroque - classicist construction began in 1791 and completed in 1797. The interior work lasted until 1814, however. The Cathedral of the Visitation is located on the former forum of the ancient Roman city of Savaria . The Austrian architect Melchior Hefele was responsible for the design .

The cathedral is a hall church crossed in the middle by a transept . The nave is lined with flat, column-framed side chapels , which take the place of side aisles . The portal facade in the east is flanked by two slender bell towers . The cathedral can seat up to 5000 people, making it one of the largest churches in Hungary.

In the interior there were frescoes and stucco work by Franz Anton Maulbertsch . During the Second World War , the Allies dropped bombs on the city on March 4, 1945 , which also destroyed the cathedral at 12 noon and 43 minutes. It was rebuilt in a significantly simplified form, but without the previous splendid interior design.

Only the red and white pulpit and the halo with angels and putti above today's main altar could be saved and reused. Martin Rumpelmayer could be verified as the executing craftsman of the pulpit . The furnishings also include a copy of a Madonna in the Sistine Chapel made of Carrara marble .

The 12 meter high organ has 54 registers and 4,500 pipes . The instrument, originally built in 1915 by the Steinmeyer organ building company in Oetting for the Ludwigsbau in Augsburg , was handed over to Szombathely in 1997 by the Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Augsburg .

In 2014 the entire facade and roof of the cathedral were renewed.

Web links

Commons : Cathedral of the Visitation (Szombathely)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 13 '52.8 "  N , 16 ° 37' 2.5"  E