Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary

    Oradea’s renowned and admired Baroque cathedral was commissioned in 1752 by Bishop Pál Forgách. A passionate admirer of Central Italian Baroque architecture, a man of refined taste and art collector, Bishop Forgách, together with the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Ricca, envisioned gifting Oradea a grand cathedral, stunning in both beauty and scale, reminiscent of Rome’s Il Gesù and Sant’Andrea della Valle.

    However, after Forgách’s appointment as Bishop of Vác in 1757, construction in Oradea took a different turn during the tenure of his successor, Ádám Patachich, and the subsequent episcopal vacancy. In 1761, the design and direction of the works were taken over by the talented young architect of the Hungarian Chamber, Franz Anton Hillebrandt—previously rejected by Forgách. Hillebrandt adapted the Italian-inspired structure to the tastes of Austrian classicizing Baroque: he replaced the planned large dome with a simpler roof, designed a more modest Zopf-style façade instead of a richly decorated Italian exterior, and altered the towers’ size and shape, as well as the articulation of the transepts, which rest on prominent composite columns.

      Thus, the largest Baroque cathedral in the Carpathian Basin became a unique blend of Italian Seicento and Austrian Baroque styles. Continuing the medieval legacy of Saint Ladislaus, the cathedral, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin,, was completed in 1780 and solemnly consecrated by Count László Kollonitz on June 25. One of Europe’s largest Baroque organs of the time also found its home in Oradea, generously donated by Maria Theresa. The 42-register instrument was completed in 1782 by Johann Fridolin Festl, imperial and royal organ builder.

   Today, Oradea’s cathedral—once the largest Baroque ecclesiastical building in the historical Kingdom of Hungary—is not only the seat of the diocese’s bishops and the city’s most visited tourist attraction, but also the parish church of a vibrant community, with a rich pastoral and liturgical life.