Satu Mare - The Roman Catholic Cathedral „The Assumption of Christ”

The number of Roman Catholics decreased in Satu Mare after the Reformation. There were moments during the 17th century when the church didn’t function at all, and periods when Jesuits could carry out their activities. The first parish church was built in the period between 1786 and 1789. The emperor Francis I transformed the bishopric from Agria in archbishopric, in 1804, therefore Satu Mare became the centre of the new bishopric. The building of the cathedral was started soon, reusing parts of the old church. The construction was ended in 1837, under the bishop Hám János. The project maker of the cathedral is unknown, we can only assume the role of the arhitect Hild Jozsef. Certainly, the maker of the ground plan was inspired from the plan of the Cathedral from Agria made by Hild. A round nave is added to the extended sanctuary, covered by a dome, continuing in a quadrilateral room, flanked by the two towers. The main façade dominates the outer aspect of the cathedral: in front of the main door is a porch made of six consoles in Corinthic style, ending with a tympanum. The tympanum is depicting the allegorical representation of “The Faith”, where a woman is holding in her hands a chalice and a cross. There are three statues on the church gable behind the porch: in the centre is Jesus’ Heart (today, the original statue in the centre depicting Jesus resurected is in the yard of the cathedral) flanked by the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul. A balcony surrounds the prism shaped tower, cylindrical at the upper side. The dome of the tower is arched (resembles the dome of the cathedral from Agria). The tower and the wall of the nave are decorated with consoles and pillars. The staues of St Stephen and St Ladislau are set at the ground floor, on the main facade, within the two niches of the tower. Inside the, church is decorated with mural paintings depicting biblical scenes. The most impressive painting is the one on the dome, representing Jesus in the church of Jerusalem, made by Riedler Janos, in 1836. The painting of the altar represents The Assumption of Christ, the original being made by a member of the Pesky family. The same painter did the work on the stalls of the canons and on the confessor. Felix Toman sculpted the main altar in white marble, in 1905. By the triumphal arch are two secondary altars, dedicated to St John, the Evangelist and to king St Stephen. There are two more altars made of grey marble, dedicated to the St Cross and to Madonna Dolorosa. In the main nave two more altars were installed, one is dedicated to St John Nepomuk, while the other to St Aloysius. The Peskys made the original pictures of the both altar, they are kept now in the Episcopal palace. The altar of The Virgin of Lourdes is set in the chapel under the southern tower, made in accordance with the plan of Ferenc Storno Sr, in 1870. The most beautiful pieces of furniture are the pews and the confessor, made in classic style. The most representative pieces of the art gallery from the episcopacy were set in the vestry. The organ, made in 1925, is in the choir, built in classic style. (TSz).

References:
Bura László – Ilk Antal, A szatmári római katolikus székesegyház, Szatmárnémeti, 1994.
Muhi Csilla, A szatmári Székesegyház. Története és képzőművészeti értékei, Szatmárnémeti, 2000. Otthonom Szatmár megye 9.