St. Michael's Cathedral ( ro, Catedrala Sfântul Mihail, hu, Gyulafehérvári Szent Mihály érseki székesegyház) is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, and is the oldest and longest cathedral in the country.

History

The diocese of Gyulafehérvár was founded by Stephen I of Hungary in 1009. The construction of the first cathedral was begun that time, though was completed only in the end of the century, under the rule of Ladislaus I. During the same period, towards the end of the 11th century they began constructing the second cathedral. The transversal naves and the first part of the sanctuary of the present cathedral were built in Romanesque style. During the

Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire ( 1206- 1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

of 1241, the church was destroyed. In the middle of the 13th century the cathedral was rebuilt on the old foundation, in the transitory style between Romanesque and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

. Not much later, in 1277,

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

pillaged the cathedral and set it on fire. In the

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. M ...

, the building was reconstructed. In 1439, it was again damaged after a Turkish invasion during the

Ottoman–Hungarian wars The Ottoman–Hungarian Wars were a series of battles between the Ottoman Empire and the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Following the Byzantine Civil War, the Ottoman capture of Gallipoli, and the decisive Battle of Kosovo, the Ottoman Empire wa ...

. The

archbishop of Esztergom In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

and the regent-governor of Hungary, John Hunyadi contributed to the reconstruction – this was the time when the latter one chose the cathedral of Gyulafehérvár as a burial place. During the first part of the

16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...

, the building was improved, and further parts were added to it. In 1601, during the Wallachian invasion led by

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( ro, Mihai Viteazul or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593 – 1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599 – 1600). ...

, the cathedral was pillaged, even the tombs of the Hunyadis were damaged. In 1603, the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

army, led by Giorgio Basta sieged the building. In 1658, during the next invasion of the Ottomans, the cathedral was damaged again.

Architecture

Burials

A list of people interred here: * John Hunyadi, Regent-Governor (1446–1453) of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

* Queen Isabella, the wife of John Zápolya * John II Sigismund Zápolya, King of Hungary from 1540 to 1570 and Prince of Transylvania from 1570 to 1571 *

Andrew Cardinal Báthory Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

, Prince-Bishop of Warmia, and Prince of Transylvania in 1599 *

Áron Márton Áron Márton (28 August 1896 – 29 September 1980) was an ethnic Hungarian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Alba Iulia from his appointment in late 1938 until his resignation in 1980. Márton held the title of Archbishop af ...

(1896-1980), Roman Catholic bishop, Righteous Among the Nations

Gallery

File:Alba Iulia, Catholic cathedral 1.jpg, Interior File:Gyfh torony.jpg , Tower File:AlbaIulia CatedralaCatolica2.jpg , Choir

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michaels Cathedral, Alba Iulia 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Romania Roman Catholic cathedrals in Romania Historic monuments in Alba County Buildings and structures in Alba Iulia Romanesque architecture in Romania Tourist attractions in Alba County

Michael's Michaels Stores, Inc., more commonly known as Michaels, is a privately held chain of 1,252 American and Canadian arts and crafts stores, as of January 2021. It is one of North America's largest providers of arts, crafts, framing, floral and wall ...