Great Moravian Basilica in Bratislava

Last updated
Great Moravian Basilica in Bratislava
Veľkomoravská bazilika na Bratislavskom hrade
Bratislavskyhrad44.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Location
Location Bratislava
CountrySlovakia
Architecture
TypeChurch
Style Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque
Completed9th century
Destroyed12th century
Materials bricks, stone blocks

Great Moravian Basilica in Bratislava was a Great Moravian church from 9th century at the Bratislava hillfort, in the area of current Bratislava Castle.

Contents

Great Moravian basilica

Great Moravian pre-romanesque basilica in Bratislava was built sometimes in the second half of 9th century. It was built as the part of great moravian hillfort at the place of former Celtic oppidum. It's the largest Great Moravian basilica at the territory of Slovakia, and it was one of the biggest Great Moravian churches. It was 12.8–13 metres (42–43 ft) wide and according to some reconstructions, its original length could have been almost 20 m (66 ft). The east end of the church has not been preserved, but on the basis of comparisons with other buildings from this period, it's concluded that it was formed by three apses. Bricks, stone blocks and roofing from an older Roman buildings from the Celtic oppidum were used as a building material. The red paint and part of the painting decoration have been preserved on the plaster remains. [1] [2]

During 10th century, pre-romanesque basilica was probably destroyed. For a short time, tower, which was part of the fortifications was built on the place of basilica.

Floorpan of Great Moravian basilica in Bratislava Great Moravian basilica on the Bratislava castle - footprint.svg
Floorpan of Great Moravian basilica in Bratislava

Romanesque church of St. Saviour

In the 10th century, early romanesque basilica of Saint Saviour was built on the same place. After the year 1200, circular romanesque charnel with a diameter of 3.5 metres (11 ft) was built next to the basilica. [3] At the time, Bratislava was the seat of priory. In 1221 it was decided, that the priory with the church should move from the castle area. New church was built under the castle hill, at the place of current St Martin's Cathedral.

A cemetery was discovered around the basilica. It was buried on it from the 9th to the 12th century. In addition to skeletal finds, various objects, hollow bronze gilded buttons with ornaments, silver earrings and other finds were found in the graves. [4]

Current status

The remains of church buildings are presented in the form of partial foundations. There is also information board with a description nearby. Remains are located a few meters from the castle, in its area, and they are freely accessible.

Related Research Articles

Nitra City in Slovakia

Nitra is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth largest city in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia; it was the political center of the Principality of Nitra. Today, it is a seat of a kraj, and an okres.

Levoča Town in Slovakia

Levoča is a town in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,700. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Gothic church with the highest wooden altar in the world, carved by Master Pavol of Levoča, and many other Renaissance buildings.

Rotunda (architecture) Building with a circular ground plan

A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building. The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A band rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome.

Levice Town in Slovakia

Levice is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river. The Old Slavic name of the town was Leva, which means "the Left One".

Bratislava Castle Main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia

Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava. Because of its size and location, it has been a dominant feature of the city for centuries.

Svätý Jur Town in Slovakia

Svätý Jur is a small historical town northeast of Bratislava, located in the Bratislava Region. The city is situated on the slopes of Little Carpathians mountains and surrounded by typical terraced vineyards with more than 700 years of winemaking tradition. In 1990, the intact city center was declared a protected city reservation. Cadastrially, Svätý Jur includes also the natural reserve Šúr, established in 1952 to protect one of the last and largest remnants of a tall-stem swamp alder forest in Central Europe.

Dunajská Streda Town in Slovakia

Dunajská Streda is a town located in southern Slovakia. Dunajská Streda is the most culturally significant town in the Žitný ostrov area. The town has a population of 22,730, with ethnic Hungarians forming the 72% majority.

Frýdek-Místek Statutory city in Moravian-Silesian, Czech Republic

Frýdek-Místek is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. The historic centres of both Frýdek and Místek are well preserved and are protected by law as two urban monument zones.

Devín Castle

Devín Castle is a castle in Devín, which is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

Tourism in Slovakia

Tourism in Slovakia offers natural landscapes, mountains, caves, medieval castles and towns, folk architecture, spas and ski resorts.

Spišská Kapitula Ecclesiastical Town in Slovakia

Spišská Kapitula is an exceptionally well-preserved ecclesiastical town on the outskirts of Spišské Podhradie, Slovakia, and overlooking Spiš Castle. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Levoča, Spiš Castle and the associated cultural monuments".

Plavecké Podhradie Municipality in Slovakia

Plavecké Podhradie is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in the Malacky District in the Bratislava region.

Boldog, Slovakia Village in Slovakia

Boldog or Pozsonyboldogfa is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in Senec District in the Bratislava Region.

Pružina Municipality in Slovakia

Pružina is a village and municipality in Považská Bystrica District in the Trenčín Region of north-western Slovakia.

St. Georges Basilica, Prague Basilica church in Prague

St. George's Basilica is the oldest surviving church building within Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic. The basilica was founded by Vratislaus I of Bohemia in 920. It is dedicated to Saint George. Primarily Romanesque in style, it is part of the collection of buildings that comprise the castle, the political capital of the nation, and the spiritual center of the Czech state.

Zemplín Castle was a former stronghold, administrative center, and later private residence near the River Bodrog in the village of Zemplín, Trebišov District, Košice Region in eastern Slovakia.

Saint Jamess Chapel, Bratislava

Saint James's Chapel is a ruined gothic chapel and surviving ossuary discovered underneath Námeste SNP in the center of Bratislava, Slovakia, in 1994. It is the oldest sacral medieval structure and the only ossuary in Bratislava.

Church of Saint Margaret of Antioch, Kopčany Church in Trnava, Slovakia

Church of Saint Margaret of Antioch, near Kopčany, Slovakia, is one of still standing churches for which the Greater Moravian origin is considered. It belongs to the oldest churches in Slovakia. The church was built probably in the 9th or 10th century and was first mentioned in 1329. It was used until the 18th century when a new church was built in the village of Kopčany.

Basilica of St. James, Levoča Church in Levoča, Slovakia

The Basilica of St. James is a Gothic church in Levoča, Prešovský kraj, Slovakia. Building began in the 14th century. It is a Catholic parish church, dedicated to James the Apostle.

The architecture of Slovakia has a long, rich and diverse history. Besides Roman ruins, Slovakia hosts several Romanesque and Gothic castles and churches, most notably Spiš Castle, which were built at the time of the Kingdom of Hungary. Renaissance architecture was of particular relevance in town hall squares, such as in Bardejov and Levoča. Affluent architecture in the following centuries made use of Baroque, Rococo and historicist styles, while vernacular architecture in the countryside developed a specific style of wooden houses and wooden churches. In the 20th century, Slovakia knew Art Nouveau and modernist architecture, including socialist modernism, and finally contemporary architecture.

References

  1. Podolinskí, Alexandra a Štefan. "Bratislava - veľkomoravská bazilika a iné stavby". apsida.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  2. Botek, Anton. "Veľkomoravská bazilika na Bratislavskom hrade" (PDF). Verbum Historiae. 1/2014: 7–34.
  3. "Zaniknutá veľkomoravská sakrálna stavba sv. Salvátora (?), Arslexicon". www.arslexicon.sk. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  4. Podolinskí, Alexandra a Štefan. "Bratislava - veľkomoravská bazilika a iné stavby". apsida.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2020-11-17.

Coordinates: 48°08′32″N17°06′04″E / 48.1421°N 17.1011°E / 48.1421; 17.1011