Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (Oradea)
The St. Assumption Cathedral ( rumän. Catedrala Adormirea Maicii Domnului ) in Oradea ( Oradea , clothes. Nagyvárad ) is the Episcopal Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oradea Mare and the largest baroque church in Romania . It was built between 1752 and 1780. The Hungarians call it St. Ladislaus Cathedral ( Szent László-székesegyház ). Pope John Paul II awarded her the honorary title of Basilica minor in 1991 .
history
The diocese of Großwardein is considered to be the founding of King Ladislaus in 1083. The Romanesque cathedral was replaced by a new Gothic building in the first half of the 14th century after being damaged during the Tatar invasion in 1241 . The church building was located inside the citadel and was the burial place of several members of the Hungarian royal family . After the victory of the Calvin Reformation in the city and region in the course of the 16th century, the cathedral began to decline. During the armed conflicts of the 17th century, the ruins were demolished to obtain building and fortification material.
After a few years under Ottoman rule, Großwardein was part of the Habsburg Empire from 1692 to 1918 . In the 18th century there was intensive building activity under the direction of the Viennese architect Franz Anton Hillebrandt , which turned Großwardein into a baroque town. In this context, the interim St. Ladislaus Cathedral was built in 1720–1741 and, from 1752, the St. Mary's Cathedral.
Architecture and equipment
The church in the style of the late baroque with influences of classicism is a north-facing basilica on a cross plan. The side aisles of the nave are divided into chapels by transverse walls. The nave spans a barrel vault with belt arches . The show facade in the south is flanked by two diagonally placed towers with Italian domes .
Inside, the rich painting and furnishings are largely original. The chest reliquary of St. Ladislaus, which contains his skull relic , enjoys special reverence .
Individual evidence
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia (1908, English)
Web links
- History, description and pictures (welcometoromania.ro, Romanian)
- Architecture and furnishings (revistamagazin.ro, Romanian)
Coordinates: 47 ° 4 ′ 8.1 ″ N , 21 ° 55 ′ 55.2 ″ E