Saint George’s Cathedral

The cathedral of Timisoara, the Roman Catholic cathedral of St. George, a magnificent sacred building in Baroque style, is the centre of the diocese. It is the second largest baroque religious building in southeastern Europe after the Oradea Cathedral. The construction began under the reign of Emperor Charles VI in 1736, planned under the direction of the then Viennese court architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, and completed in 1774.

The floor plan of the cathedral has the shape of a double cross. Above the marble high altar is an image of St. George fighting the dragon, surrounded by gilded saints and angels. In the crypt, which can only be visited in exceptional cases, bishops, canons and some fortress commanders and nobles are buried.
The organ is the work of the famous local organ builder Carl Leopold Wegenstein and dates from 1908.

Upon taking a closer look at the catholic St. George’s Cathedral, you will notice that its towers hardly rise above the building. At first glance, the façade appears square and compact. Higher towers were dispensed with on the one hand for cost reasons, but on the other hand, as with the Protestant City Church, for security considerations which spoke against a widely visible target. At the time of construction, one still had to reckon with Turks invading the Banat and its capital, so imposing towers posed an increased risk of cannon fire. Thus, the Timisoara Cathedral with towers, having a height of only 35.5 metres, fits nicely within the Cathedral Square, without towering over the surrounding buildings.

The services, on the other hand, are exceptional. The church services are held in several languages, simultaneously, and thus reflect the ethnic diversity of the city.