The Votive Church and Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary is a twin-spired church in Szeged. It lies on Dóm square beside the Dömötör tower. Construction began in 1913, but due to the outbreak of the First World War, it was not completed until 1930. The church serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Szeged–Csanád.

Features

The church is made mostly of brick, and has two towers, each 91 meters high, and a large dome in between.

Front

The front of the church has a Grecian cross and rose windows underneath. Below that is the 3-metre-tall statue of Madonna, the protector of Hungary since Stephen I. On each side of the statue there are paintings of the 12 Apostles. Underneath them is the main gate and the cathedral’s side gates – the one on the right is labeled “Peace”/”Venite adoremus” and the one on the left is “War”/”Vae victis”.

Interior

The church has many frescos, with the main one being “Our Lady of Hungary” behind the main altar. It depicts Madonna wearing the Hungarian Crown; on her shoulder is St Stephen’s coronation mantle, in her right hand is the mace, in her left is the orb, and in her arm is Jesus as a child.

Above the main altar is a fresco called “Madonna in Fur of Szöged” by Ferenc Marton which depicts Madonna in a Hungarian folk dress.

The dome’s fresco was painted by László Patay who later won a Munkacsy Award in 2000. The painting is centered around the procession of the Holy Ghost but also contains depictions of St. Stephen, St. Elisabeth, St. Leslie, and St. Margaret as well.

The main transept contains the Altar of St. Anthony and the Heart of Jesus. In the cathedral’s left transept is the marble Altar of St. Gerard, and statues of St. Gerard and of St. Stephen. The right transept contains the Altar of the St. Cross. Between the towers and the transepts are the side-chapels, which were built in honour of St Leslie, St. Elizabeth, St. Stephen and St Margaret.