St Elisabeth Cathedral
Slovakia's largest church: a Gothic cathedral with a winged high altar, crypt and climbable tower.
Work on the cathedral began around 1378 on the site of an earlier parish church and continued, with interruptions, into the early sixteenth century. Built of sandstone on a cruciform plan with five aisles, it is the largest church in Slovakia and the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe. Royal patronage from the Hungarian kings paid for much of the work, and the north portal, the Golden Gate on the west front and the unusual double spiral staircase all date from this campaign.
The high altar of Saint Elisabeth, made between 1474 and 1477, carries 48 painted panels showing the life of the saint, the Passion and the Virgin, and is among the largest winged altarpieces in Europe. Beneath the north aisle the Rákóczi crypt holds the remains of Francis II Rákóczi, returned from Turkey in 1906. Visitors may also climb the north tower for views over Košice and see the adjacent Chapel of Saint Michael.
Highlights
- Largest church in Slovakia, on a five-aisled cruciform plan
- Winged high altar of 1474-1477 with 48 painted panels
- Rákóczi crypt beneath the north aisle
- Late Gothic double spiral staircase and climbable north tower
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