St. Martin’s Cathedral

The must-see St. Martin's Cathedral in Bratislava is one of Slovakia's many spectacular sights. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bratislava still uses this historic building as its cathedral.

It is located on the western side of the old city center, below Bratislava Castle, and was built in the 13th century. The cathedral is one of the three-nave churches and cathedrals in the city. It was built on the site of a prior Romanesque church dedicated to the Holy Saviour, which was dismantled and replaced with the current construction in the 19th century. From 1563 to 1830, this beautiful cathedral served as the coronation church for Hungarian monarchs and their spouses.

The Baroque Chapel of St. John the Merciful (now a mausoleum) was added in the 18th century, along with an updated altar and a sculpture of St. Martin himself on horseback, dressed in full Hussar fig, slicing his cloak in half and offering half to a naked beggar. All of these embellishments cost a lot of money and were designed by renowned Austrian sculptor Georg Rafael Donner.

The 150-kg gold-plated replica of the Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary), which is displayed at the top of the cathedral's 85-meter neo-Gothic tower built in the late 15th century, is one of the cathedral's most popular attractions. This massive facsimile, complete with the massive gold-plated pillow it rests on, is about 4 feet broad and 5.5 feet tall – far too big for most people's heads!

The Cathedral's function in coronating Hungarian royalty was recognized with the addition of this replica in the 19th century. During the reign of the Habsburg Dynasty alone, ten Habsburg monarchs, one queen, and seven royal wives were crowned in St. Martin's Cathedral.

St. Martin's Cathedral also has some of the earliest notable pieces of Central European lead sculpture in the world, originating from the 13th century.

Location: Old Town, Bratislava, ‎Slovakia