Description of the attraction
The dominant feature of the entire Old Town of Bratislava is the once parish, then the university, and later the coronation cathedral of St. Martin. It is located on the modest Rudnay Square, but is considered the main attraction of the entire city. The spire of its tower, which rises to 85 meters, is crowned with a 300-kilogram gilded model of the crown of the Austrian emperors. It was with the original crown of St. Stephen that 18 monarchs were crowned to reign under the arches of this Bratislava cathedral. Coronations took place between 1563 and 1830. The famous royal path begins from the Dome Cathedral, which can be traversed even now. You just need to adhere to the tips in the form of stones embedded in the pavement with the image of a crown.
Before the appearance of this church, all Catholic services for the townspeople were held in the temple of Bratislava Castle. It was unsafe for the inhabitants of the castle, so in 1311, the construction of a spacious temple began on a suitable site. The construction of the cathedral took more than a century. It was consecrated only in 1452. Over the next centuries, the temple was rebuilt more than once. Now we see him as he appeared before the townspeople after the reconstruction of 1877.
A small baroque building adjoins the Gothic temple. This is the chapel of St. John the Merciful, built by the famous Austrian architect Georg Raphael Donner. It contains the relics of this saint. At the corner of the cathedral there is a small narrow building topped with a gabled dome. This is a medieval toilet built for parishioners in the 15th century.
The interior decoration of the cathedral is distinguished by splendor worthy of kings. On the main altar there is a statue from 1735, created by the same Donner and depicting St. Martin, the patron saint of the cathedral, who shares part of his cloak with the beggar. The 17th century altar of the Virgin Mary is decorated with statues of saints. Local authority worth € 1 million completed in 2010.
