Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Slovakia - St. Martin's Cathedral in Bratislava


BRATISLAVA
St. Martin's Cathedral.

Sent by Beata, a WiP partner from Bratislava in Slovakia.

This is from Wikipedia : The St. Martin's Cathedral (Slovak: Katedrála svätého Martina, German: Kathedrale des Heiligen Martin, Hungarian: Szent Márton-dóm or Koronázó templom) is a cathedral in Slovakia's capital, Bratislava. It is situated at the western border of the historical city center below Bratislava Castle. It is the largest and finest, as well as one of the oldest churches in Bratislava, known especially for previously being the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary. Currently, it is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Bratislava. From 1995 to February 2008 it was the concathedral of the Archdiocese of Bratislava-Trnava.

Together with the Castle on the hill adjacent, and somewhat similar in its striking but fairly stark Gothic lines and colouring, St Martins’ 85 m spire dominates Old Town’s skyline. The tower virtually formed a part of the town’s fortifications, built as it was into the city’s defensive walls.

As with the Castle, the surroundings of St Martins are as memorable as the structure itself. In the cathedral’s case, this includes the picturesque remains of outbuildings in a spacious staired courtyard, and a working seminary with robed adepts on a cobblestoned sidestreet. A small but significant neighbour of the cathedral is a monument to the synagogue, which stood next door for centuries until the communist government demolished it around 1970 to make room for the new bridge.

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