Košice, St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral
History
More commonly known as the “Košice Cathedral,” it stands in the centre of the old town. There was already a Romanesque church on this site in the 13th century, but it burned down in 1378. From Pope Boniface IX’s grant of indulgence in 1402, and from the tombstones found during the foundation of the pillars of the nave, one can infer that the restoration’s first phase lasted until 1420, and the second until 1462. In the latter years, a transept of the same height as the nave was built, as well as the Matthias Tower, the King’s Staircase, and the royal oratory.
The years 1453 and 1462 are inscribed. In the third phase of construction a Chapel of the Holy Cross, a Chapel of the Virgin Mary, and a Chapel of Saint Joseph were built, as well as the northern tower. Its winged main altar was completed in 1477. The city’s siege in 1491 caused serious damage, but it was also restored afterward. Once the sacrament shrine was completed, the construction — which had continued for more than a hundred years — was finished in 1508. However, in 1556 another fire ravaged the city, and the cathedral did not escape damage.
Only the main altar and three side altars remained intact. From 1604, the church was alternately used by Catholics and Lutherans. After 1687 it remained in Catholic hands; in 1804 the Košice diocese was created, and the former parish church was elevated to cathedral status. Meanwhile, in 1775 another fire caused damage, and thereafter a Baroque spire was added to the northern tower.
Between 1877 and 1896 it underwent another renovation, attempting to restore it to its original Gothic form, and a crypt was constructed under the northern nave.
Style
The cathedral is a Gothic, three-aisled hall church. On its western main façade between the two towers there is a statue of Saint Elizabeth of the Árpád dynasty holding a small-scale model of the cathedral, and above her the coat of arms that Košice received from King Vladislaus II. Above the main entrance is a depiction of Christ praying in the Garden of Olives, and higher still is Veronica’s veil held by two angels.
Its north portal was once called the “Golden Gate” (Porta aurea), but its sculptures had their gilding removed in 1860. On the southern portal, inside a triangular pediment, is a life-sized stone statue of King Matthias. The main altar, created between 1474 and 1477, features twelve hinged panels showing scenes from the life of Saint Elizabeth of the Árpád dynasty.Famous residents
In 1906, the ashes of Francis II Rákóczi brought home from Rodosto were interred in the cathedral’s crypt. Along with him are buried his mother, Ilona Zrínyi; his elder son, József Rákóczi (a general); Count Antal Esterházy, his court steward, Miklós Sibrik; and also Count Miklós Bercsényi and his wife, Countess Krisztina Csáky. Each year on the anniversary of the reinterment, numerous wreaths in the national colours are laid over the Prince’s coffin.Present day
One can enter the cathedral through the western main gate, and one’s attention is immediately drawn to the winged main altar, over eleven metres high. To its left stands one of the most beautiful sacrament shrines in the world: carved from stone between 1467 and 1477 over ten years, it reaches sixteen metres in height under the northern nave.
