The Roman Catholic Episcopal Palace in Oradea

    The construction of the Bishop’s Palace, marked by the Austrian Baroque style, was ordered by Bishop Adam Patachich. The design of the building was entrusted to Franz Anton Hillebrandt, who started his work in 1761. The construction work was completed by 1777, and by the previous year, the frescoes and altarpieces in the Bishop’s Palace chapel, painted by Johann Nepomuk Schöpf, had been completed. The paintings in the ceremonial hall, depicting scenes from the life of Saint Ladislaus, are the work of Ferenc Storno and were completed in 1879.

    The designer of the building, Franz Anton Hillebrandt, was one of the most renowned architects of his time. When he began the project, he was “only” an employee of the Royal Hungarian Court, and ten years later he became the chief architect of the Imperial Court in Vienna. His name is associated with the Royal Palace in Buda Castle, the Bratislava Castle, and the restructuring of the Hofburg in Vienna.