Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady

The diocese of Győr is said to be estabilished by St. Stephen I. in 1001. Although we do not have documents on the first cathedral from the 11th century, we can be certain that during the Czech assaults in 1273 it was severely damaged. The cathedral’s Gothic transformation had begun by Bishop Kálmán (1337-1375) and was finished by Bishop János Héderváry with the building of the Holy Trinity Chapel (today Héderváry Chapel or St. Ladislaus Chapel). The cathedral had been damaged once again during the 1440’s Civil Wars, therefore in the second half of the 15th century at the time of Bishop Demeter Csupor’ and Bishop Orbán Nagylucsei’s occupancies it was reconstructed. After the Battle of Mohács, Győr was under permanent attack, during which the medieval cathedral was gradually demolished – the building burned down, part of it was used as a stable and warehouse by the castle guards, its vaulting and its towers collapsed. After the liberation of Győr from the short Turkish rule, another renovation began again, II. Bishop György Draskovich (1635–1650) entrusted the Italian master builder Giovanni Battista Rava with the renewal. In 1660, Bishop György Széchényi erected a new central tower on the site of the perished pair of western towers. The present-day, mature baroque character of the interior of the basilica was created during the works that took place at the time of Bishop Count Ferenc Zichy reign (1743-1783).

The bishop - who entrusted the construction with Canon János Szily, later the first bishop of Szombathely - hired the most important artists of his time. The architectural details, such as the Mary altar (1767), were designed by Melchior Hefele, the frescoes and altarpieces were painted by Franz Anton Maulbertsch and his workshop (1772-74, 1781). During the reign of Bishop Miklós Széchenyi (1901–1911), facade renovations began, which still define the external image of the cathedral. At that time, the baroque Rozália chapel was demolished and a uniform Neo-Romanesque semi-circular sanctuary enclosure was created. The interior renovation work was restarted during the time of Bishop István Breyer (1933–1940), during which the church received a new floor and the tombstones were also elevated from the ground. The building suffered significant destruction during the bombings of the Second World War (the tower helm was damaged, the roof structure burnt down). The restoration that determines the present appearance of the cathedral took place between 1968 and 1971, when the damage caused by the Second World War was repaired. In the 20th century, only the Héderváry chapel was enriched with new works of art; Blessed Bishop Vilmos Apor with his sarcophagus carved by Sándor Boldogfai Farkas, behind which Eszter Mattioni’s artistic wall-covering was placed, and the colored glass windows are the works of Lili Sztehló. After his visit in 1996, Pope John Paul II. granted the cathedral the rank of “Basilica minor” in 1997. The last restoration began in 2017, as part of which the exterior of the cathedral was renewed and a complete interior renovation was carried out, a new organ was built, and in 2022, to replace the losses of the two World Wars.

Closed during liturgical events!

This place is wheelchair accessible.