Franciscan Church and Monastery of St Michael – Subotica (Szabadka)
The Franciscan church and monastery in Subotica (Szabadka) – known locally in Hungarian as the Friars' Church – is the town's oldest church complex, adapted from the remains of a 15th-century castle. For centuries the friars cared from here for the Catholics of Subotica and its surroundings, in both Hungarian and Croatian.
In 1464 King Matthias granted Subotica to János Pongrác of Dengeleg, Voivode of Transylvania, who built a castle here in 1470; remnants of its walls can still be found in the inner wall of the church tower. During and after the Ottoman period, Franciscans from Szeged cared for the Catholics, and in 1686 they founded a friary next to the castle. Between 1730 and 1736 the castle was converted into a church dedicated to St Michael the Archangel, consecrated on 15 April 1736 by Gábor Patachich, Archbishop of Kalocsa.
Until 1773 this was the only parish church in Subotica, and the friars also directed the pastoral care of several nearby places, including Bačka Topola, Kanjiža and Senta. They also ran schools: in 1747 they founded a grammar school, and in the 19th century the province's school of philosophy operated here. The present friary building was erected between 1753 and 1767, and the church was renovated and enlarged in 1907. In 1900 the friary passed to the province named after St John of Capistrano; today it belongs to the Croatian Franciscans.
Besides the high altar the church has six side altars; the paintings of the oldest altar date from 1741. A separate chapel in the friary holds the image of the Black Madonna, venerated by the faithful since at least 1692; tradition links it to the settlement of the Bunjevci. The friary library holds more than fifteen thousand volumes, and its collection includes 18th-century altarpieces and paintings of Franciscan saints. In 2003 archaeologists uncovered the foundations of a 13th-century village church beside the church. The complex is listed among Serbia's cultural monuments of great importance.
Visiting: the church and friary stand in the centre of Subotica, on Franciscan Square (Franjevački trg 1), a short walk from the City Hall and St Teresa's Cathedral. Masses are still celebrated in Hungarian and Croatian.
Sources: Hungarian Catholic Lexicon · Wikipedia · Wikipedia (Croatian) – Franjevački samostan · Wikipedia (Croatian) – Franjevačka crkva sv. Mihovila · Wikipedia (Serbian)
Photo: Ванилица / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Dobrislava / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Town:
Subotica (Szabadka)
