St. Michael Cathedral (Alba Iulia)
The Cathedral of St. Michael (Hungarian: Szent Mihály katedrális, Romanian. Catedrala Sfântul Mihail ) in the Transylvanian, now Romanian district town of Alba Iulia ( Gyulafehérvár , German Karlsburg ) is the episcopal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia . The Romanesque - Gothic basilica is one of the most important medieval buildings in Transylvania . It is also a national memorial for Hungary and is named St. Stephen's Cathedral ( Székesegyház a Szent István király ) after its founder, Stephan I.
history
The building complex of cathedral and bishop's residence was built after the foundation of the diocese in 1009. The cathedral was so badly damaged during the Tatar invasion in 1241 that a new building was necessary. This was built in two construction phases 1246–1291 and 1320–1356. In the 15th century, Johann Hunyadi designated the cathedral as a family burial place and had it restored. In the 16th century the frescoes inside and a Renaissance chapel on the north side were added. With the advance of the Reformation in the Kingdom of Hungary in the middle of the 16th century, St. Michael's Cathedral became Calvinist and remained so in Ottoman times. Under Habsburg rule, the cathedral and diocese were re-Catholicized around 1700 . After Transylvania was incorporated into the Kingdom of Romania , the Romanian Orthodox Trinity Cathedral was built in the immediate vicinity in 1921–1923 .
Architecture and equipment
St. Michael is a three-aisled basilica with a transept. The massive west building shows predominantly Romanesque forms. Of the two towers that were apparently planned, only the southern one has been built; its present form is the work of several centuries. In the portal gable there are four statues of saints from the 18th century. The arches and vaults of the nave are early Gothic, the choir is high Gothic. Of the furnishings, two Romanesque reliefs of the Archangel Michael , a Gothic Pietà as well as a pulpit and choir stalls from the Baroque era are particularly noteworthy. The organ with 2209 pipes was built by Istvan Kolonics in 1877 .
The cathedral contains numerous artistically significant tombs, u. a. from
- Johann Hunyadi , Hungarian statesman and military leader († 1456)
- Ladislaus Hunyadi († 1457)
- Georg Martinuzzi , cleric and statesman († 1551)
- Ferenc Kendi , Hungarian magnate († 1558)
- Isabella Jagiellonica , Queen of Hungary († 1559)
- Johann Sigismund Zápolya , King of Hungary († 1571)
- Georg I. Rákóczi († 1648)
Web links
- History and description (Romanian)
- History, description and pictures (Romanian)
Coordinates: 46 ° 4 ′ 3.4 " N , 23 ° 34 ′ 11.8" E