St Martin’s Cathedral is the main cathedral in Bratislava, it’s in the middle of the Old Town, so you needn’t go out of your way to explore it. In fact, it would be a shame if you skipped out on it whilst exploring the Old Town as it has such a rich history.
It is one of the oldest churches in Bratislava as construction began in the early 1200s. There’s a really interesting mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture and style in the building reflecting all the different time periods that work or renovation was going on in the church. For about 300 years it was the location of the coronation of the Kings of Hungary (from about 1563 to 1830). Queen Maria Theresa might be the most famous monarch who was crowned there.
The church itself consists of three chapels and four naves. Its location is picturesque – it’s surrounded by cobbled courtyards, tiny streets and old houses. And if you look up, on top of the tower is a model of the Hungarian crown sitting on a golden pillow.
Next door to the Cathedral is a monument to a synagogue that stood for centuries as a neighbour to the church. The synagogue was demolished by the Communist government in 1970 to make room for the Nový Most bridge (that the UFO Tower sits atop). The bridge is heavily trafficked and the vibrations from the bridge started to cause severe issues within the church so reconstruction and maintenance began in the late 1990s and continue to this day.
One of the highlights of my trip to Bratislava was that as I was approaching the church to go in and look around, I noticed that the courtyard was filled with people dressed to the nines. A wedding was ending at the cathedral, just as visiting hours were beginning.
I participated in cheering the bride and groom on as they left the church (as did many other passersby!) and it was such a joyful occasion to get to have a small part in witnessing. I was also fascinated because many members of the wedding party were in traditional attire – and I even got to hear some singing of traditional Slovak folk songs.
I’ve since tried to do some research on the outfits that they were wearing, but I’ve been unable to come across anything specific in English that helps explain all the little details.
That’s one of my favourite things about traveling – stumbling across unrepeatable moments and experiences that are free and uplift your heart. (Sorry if that sounds corny, but I really mean it!)
It’s free to go inside of the cathedral, however, if you’d like to visit the underground catacombs (which I’d recommend!) it’s a €2.50 charge.
Visiting times are rather specific:
Monday through Friday (in the summertime) 9.00 am – 11.30 am & 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm
(in the wintertime) 9.00 am – 11.30 am & 1.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Saturday: 9.00 am – 11.30 am
Sunday: 1.30 pm – 4.30 pm
St. Martin’s Cathedral is located at: Rudnayovo námestie 1, 811 01 Bratislava, Slovakia
Have you visited Bratislava Cathedral? What’s your favourite European cathedral?
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
48 Hours in Bratislava
10 Things to Do in Bratislava
Bratislava Castle
St Elisabeth’s Church aka the Blue Church
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