Description of the attraction
St. Martin's Cathedral is a Catholic church located in the Austrian city of Eisenstadt and is the cathedral of the diocese.
The first written mention of a chapel dedicated to St. Martin dates back to 1264. At that time, the cathedral was called "Little Martin" and was geographically located in a small Hungarian village. In the 13th century, the cathedral was rebuilt in the Gothic style. After a great fire in 1589, the cathedral was badly damaged, the restoration took almost 30 years, and was completed in 1629. In 1777, the icon "Transfiguration of St. Martin" by Stefan Dorfmeister appeared in the cathedral, and a year later the organ was installed in the cathedral.
After the establishment of the diocese in Eisenstadt, St. Martin's Church became the cathedral of the diocese. In 1960, by order of Bishop Stephen Laszlo, work began to change the interior of the cathedral. The work was carried out according to the project of the architect Jacob Adelhart until 2003. The stained glass windows depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ were designed by Franz Deed, the side aisles dedicated to John the Baptist were designed by Margrethe Bilger. 20 years later, in 1980, a stained glass window dedicated to the Virgin Mary appeared in the cathedral. The altar of St. Martin's Cathedral was consecrated in April 2003.
The cathedral is famous for its organ concerts, including the Haydn Festival.
