Construction
cathedral in Košice, Slovakia
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The Cathedral of St. Elizabeth (Slovak: Dóm svätej Alžbety, pronounced [ˈdɔːm ˈsʋɛɐtej ˈalʐbeti]; German: Dom der heiligen Elisabeth), also called Saint Elizabeth Cathedral, is a Gothic cathedral in Košice, Slovakia. It is the largest church in Slovakia and one of the easternmost Gothic cathedrals in Europe.
According to historical and archaeological sources, the present-day cathedral was built in the place of an earlier church, which was also consecrated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was referred to in documents from 1283 and 1290, in which the Bishop of Eger Andrew II spoke about the jurisdiction of the church.
The Cathedral of St. Elizabeth is the largest church in Slovakia, with a total area of 1,200 square metres (13,000 sq ft) and a capacity of more than 5,000 people. It is the main church in the Archdiocese of Košice, and is one of Europe's easternmost Gothic cathedrals.
The church is 60 metres (200 ft) long and 36 metres (118 ft) wide; the height of the north tower is 59 metres (194 ft). The central nave is 24 metres (79 ft) long, and the aisles are 12 metres (39 ft) long.
The north side of the cathedral includes a five-sided choir, five naves, two towers, and a level sacristy; the south side has two chapels and an antechapel. The cathedral has a unique inside layout, in which the central nave and four aisles are crossed in the middle by one transept of the same height and width as the central nave, which together create a Greek cross.
This large central space rises in the centre of the church, and together with three equal exterior gables with richly decorated portals represent the acme of medieval stonework of art in Central Europe. The complex of the cathedral and adjacent buildings (St Michael Chapel and St Urban Tower) were declared as Cultural Heritage Monuments in 1970.
The oldest Košice church likely originated in the middle of the 11th century, and was consecrated to Saint Michael. It was built in Romanesque style in the same location as the current church. The oldest record of the original church is dated to 1230. When German colonists settled in Košice in the 1240s, and Saint Elizabeth became the patron saint of the town, the church was rededicated to her.
In the mid-13th century, the church started to be rebuilt in the Gothic style. The church retained its Romanesque tower, but gained a Gothic vault and a side chapel.
The eastward-oriented chapel measured 11.5 by 10.25 metres (37.7 ft × 33.6 ft), with a main aisle of 27.8 by 14 metres (91 ft × 46 ft), giving it a total area of 520 square metres (5,600 sq ft). This parish church burned down around 1380, but it was rebuilt and kept in service until the construction of the current cathedral. Several Romanesque artifacts such as an Iva statuette, a bronze baptistery, and several gravestones remain to this day.
The fire which destroyed the original church in 1380 led to the construction of a new cathedral. Wealthy local citizens financed the construction of the cathedral with the support of Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg. The construction of the cathedral was also supported by the papal curia. In 1402, Pope Boniface IX issued an indulgence bull stating that all pilgrims who contributed to Košice's church had their sins forgiven. The exact date of the new church's construction is unknown, but happened between 1380 (after the fire) and 1402, when there was a first written record. The first stage of construction likely lasted until 1420.
During this period, the church was built as a five-nave basilica around the original foundation. The south polygonal chevet aisles were built first, followed by the south enclosure wall, the south portal, and the west wall, where the first two levels of both towers were connected.
A reference from 1411 indicates that the construction of the cathedral was overseen by a director named Mikuláš and Emperor Sigismund's master builder, Peter from Budin.
The use of new construction masonry invented by Peter Parler in 1420 brought about a significant change in the architecture of the cathedral. Because of a lack of written reference, the architect during this stage of construction is unknown. The aims of the design were uprightness, light materials, and spaciousness. This resulted in the construction of the three-aisle cathedral, and, in a major change of plan, counter aisles were added to the main nave.
This addition was unconventionally situated in the middle of the main nave length, and a unique central hall space was created. The portal decorations of the main nave and side aisles were inspired by Gothic buildings in Prague and Kraków, and were included in the second construction stage. The influence of Parler's masonry at Saint Vitus Cathedral of Prague became evident in the King's Oratory and its spiral staircase, as well as in a motif of round banisters of the oratory and a stone gallery over the sacristy.
The construction of the cathedral continued with the creation of the north external wall, the polygonal chevet of the north aisle (parallel to the south apsis), and the eight-sided top levels of Sigismund's Tower. At the end of the second construction stage, the cathedral was ready for vaulting, and it was necessary to pull down the old church. St Michael's church (today called St Michael's Chapel) started construction at the same time as the new cathedral, but was finished in 1400, and so took over the function of a parish church.
After the demolition of the old church, the new cathedral was vaulted using a rib vault. The particular symmetric shapes of the vault differed from bay to bay, and they were not folded from one bay to the other. The newest part of the construction, the sacristy and chapel, were done during this third stage.
Sigimund's tower was finished and a new town emblem, granted by Ladislaus the Posthumous, was sculpted on the fifth floor of tower in 1453. The date "1462" is marked over the entrance, marking the year when work on the tower was completed.
After finishing Sigimund's tower, attention turned to the construction of the south tower. This tower was named after Matthias Corvinus, the monarch at the time and significant contributor to the building of tower. Because of the use of new masonry, this tower was built in a more decorated and vertical style than the north tower. During this time, the south shield and portal were completed.
Between 1464 and 1490, Master Stephan Lapicidus, also referred to as Master Štefan Staimecz from Košice, was in charge of the construction. Master Štefan built side aisle that were not originally included in the floor plan, a change which was financed by rich city-dwelling families. The Saint Cross Chapel was built by senator August Cromer in 1475, and the Saint Maria chapel was built by Satmary Rod in 1477. By the end of the 15th century, the Saint Joseph Chapel (which no longer exists) was built on the north side of the cathedral.
Some inside features from this period are the work of Master Štefan, such as the stone pastophorium and the relief of St. Elizabeth on the sacristy wall. At that time, the church was furnished with Gothic pieces, of which little remains today. The altar of Saint Elisabeth, constructed between 1474 and 1477 by an unknown artist, has been preserved.
Following Matthias Corvinus' death in 1490, Hungary experienced a period of unrest and conflict. Polish–Lithuanian regent John I Albert attacked the city of Košice and fired upon it with cannons. The cathedral was heavily damaged in the attack, and Nikolaus Krumpholz of Niš was charged with its reconstruction, with master builder Vaclav of Prague assisting him. According to documents from the time, the reconstruction took place between 1496 and 1498.
The presbytery was completed in 1508; this is considered to be the year when the cathedral's construction was finished. This is documented by a scroll dated from 1508 in the name of master builder Krumpholz, which was found in the presbytery pillar after a major renovation in 1908.
In 1556, a fire burned through much of Košice, damaging the cathedral in the process. The roof and its timbers, along with a large section of the interior, were burnt. Repairs to the cathedral were done by master builder Stanislaus of Kraków, master builders Johann and Gebriel, and stone master Matyas.
After the renovations, the cathedral was administered by Protestants, who controlled it until 1604 when they were violently removed by Catholics and members of Eger's chapter house. This incident became one of the main reasons for the anti-Habsburg revolt of Stephen Bocskai, who gave the cathedral to the Calvinists.
The cathedral was returned to Eger's chapter house in 1671 by order of Emperor Leopold I. General repairs were undertaken, and the chapter house's treasure was placed in the cathedral. During Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk's revolt in 1682, the cathedral was again taken over by Protestants. In 1685, the cathedral was permanently restored to the Catholic community.
In 1706, the cathedral was damaged during an occupation by Francis II Rákóczi. The west and the south side of the cathedral were the most badly damaged. During the 18th century, several parts of the cathedral were repaired, and further embellishments were added.
By the second half of the 18th century, the cathedral had 14 altars, of which only 10 exist today.
After several years of religious wars and neglected maintenance, it became necessary to update the cathedral at the beginning of the 19th century. Following earthquakes in 1834 and 1845, the town was flooded, which damaged several parts of the ground pavement in the cathedral. During the 19th century, there was an initiative for the cathedral to be reconstructed in neo-Gothic style, which was organised by Bishop Ignác Fábry and artist Imre Henszlmann.
In 1857, the St. Elizabeth Cathedral Alliance was established and undertook repairs from 1856 to 1863 under the control of the Emperor's Royal Central Commission of Preservation and Repair of Architectural Monuments, with the assistance of Henszlmann.
Works were laid out by master builders Károly Gerster and Lajos Frey. Fábry's reconstruction altered several portals' statues, changed clapboards to ceramic roof-tiles, replaced the stock of new window panes, and undertook repairs of the south hall and interior painting.
Despite the reconstruction, several structural defects of the cathedral evident at that time were not repaired. Some of the columns were off-center from their central line, and their bases were standing on a colour blade layer which was soaked by ground water. Arch ruptures were covered by mortar or were covered by wood. These incomplete repairs led to more damage as a result of a heavy windstorm in 1875.
In 1872, the Hungarian Temporary Monuments Commission was established, with Imre Henszlmann as the commission secretary. A major reconstruction was undertaken from 1877 to 1896 and was the main priority of the Monuments Commission. It was financed mostly from the state budget of the Hungarian government. Imre Steindl, a professor of Medieval Architecture at Budapest Technical University and a well-known Hungarian neo-Gothic architect, was named as the main architect of the reconstruction works.
Steindl determined that, based on ruptures visible in arches, the location of the pillars in the aisles was the primary contributor to the structural damage present in the cathedral. Steindl developed a new structure to address these issues, and the three-aisle cathedral was rebuilt to a five-aisle cathedral via additional arches in the side aisles. Additionally, medieval star arches in the main and side aisles were rebuilt as network ones. An old choir was removed, and in its place Steindl built expanded replicas with more pillars. Parts of the exterior of the cathedral were also rebuilt, such as an adjustment to the external walls and gavels, and repairs to supporting columns, water-chutes, windows, and portals. The roof of the Matthias Tower was also rebuilt.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Cathedral of St. Elizabeth”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.