St. Martin's Cathedral — Attraction in Bratislava

It is probably the largest and oldest cathedral in Bratislava, and it is famous because it is historically a coronation church for the Kingdom of Hungary for years of 1563 and 1830.

Church entrance fee is by visitor’s voluntary contribution, while tower and garden do require mandatory entrance fee.

St Marin’s Church was built originally as a Gothic cathedral in 13th century but it gradually transformed into Baroque style with addition of Baroque Chapel, Baroque tower [to replace Gothic tower which was damaged by lighting in 17th century].

Like many old churches in Europe, St. Marin’s Church also has a few graves of the saints and historical figures’ remains in its basement and building underground, which is sealed with semi-transparent glass on the ground floor, and the church-goers can view the graves and pay their respects. Based on Cathedral data, it seems to have 3 crypts going down to 6 meters from the ground floor.

For visitors from Vienna and other foreign cities, they can take Bus from Central Train Station [ Hlavná stanica, which is outside Bratislava hl.st. ] after getting off the QBB Train. In general, QBB Train Tickets bound for Bratislava do allow visitors to take Bratislava bus, tram, and other local transportation free of charge on the arrival day.

It is highly recommended for visitors to St. Martin’s Church to visit Medieval City Wall and Bratislava Old Town together, and the City Municipality does provide clear road direction for...

The St Martin's Cathedral is a church in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bratislava.

It is situated at the western border of the historical city center below Bratislava Castle. It is the largest and one of the oldest churches in Bratislava, known especially for being the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830.

Together with the castle on the hill adjacent, and somewhat similar in its striking but fairly stark Gothic lines and colouring, St Martin's 85 m (279 ft) spire dominates Old Town’s skyline. The tower virtually formed a part of the town’s fortifications, built as it was into the city’s defensive walls.

As with the castle, the surroundings of St Martin's are as memorable as the structure itself. In the cathedral’s case, this includes the picturesque remains of outbuildings in a spacious staired courtyard, and a working seminary with robed adepts on a cobblestone side-street.

A small but significant neighbour of the cathedral is a monument to the synagogue, which stood next door for centuries until the Communist government demolished it around 1970 to make room for a new Nový Most bridge. The cathedral contains the remains of Saint John the Merciful who died in the early...

Discovering St Martin’s Cathedral.

The St Martin’s Cathedral is located in the historic old town of Bratislava. It's actually on way to the Bratislava castle, you'll easily find the Gothic style tower. Actually we tried to visit on our first day after the castle, but they were closed. So we returned the next morning to be safe. With this in mind, just double check the hours before you visit.

More on it.

Outside the church looks quite simple, but it's far from it when you get in ! Although it's small (compared to other churches in Europe) it’s really beautiful inside! You'll notice the overhead Gothic arches, beautiful and huge stained glass windows and pieces colorful sacred art. There's a kind of mystery around it with creepy crypts containing ancient catacombs.

How much ?

It’s a Free ! With that in mind, don’t miss your chance to check it out even if you are not that religious! The construction started in the 1400’s century. So there's a lots of history lying here, especially about the beginning of “Coronation Church” - sovereigns of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1563 (According to Wikipedia).

Serge: 4 Eli: 4

Do we recommend? Yes. It's nice to see the structure, visit inside and go around to witness the...