Szeged Cathedral 2.8

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.StatisticsIt is the fourth-largest building in Hungary. The dome is outside (33 m above the inside floor) and the towers are both 91m high. The church contains five bells, the largest of which is the Heroes Bell which weighs, is tuned to F0 and was made in 1927. It also contains the largest organ in Europe with 9740 pipes and 134 ranks. The church is located in Dóm Square Szeged, which is exactly the same size as Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy.HistoryConstruction of the church began in 1913 after a flood had destroyed most of Szeged. It was designed by Frederick Schulek and was completed in 1930. The construction of the church was a result of a pledge made by the inhabitants of Szeged to build a cathedral after the flood of March 1879.The Commissioner of the King was looking for a place for the church to be built, and decided on the site of the medieval St. Demeter Church. Today all that remains of the church is the Dömötör tower (now the oldest building in Szeged). Thirty-five design plans were submitted in a competition, and in the end the plans were chosen and the foundation was laid on 21 June 1914. The construction was stopped because of World War I and was finally finished on 24 October 1930. It was blessed by various bishops and archbishops. The next day the church held its first mass.