Name of Mary Church – Novi Sad (Újvidék)
The Name of Mary parish church is the largest church in Novi Sad (Újvidék) and a symbol of the city centre. Locals often call it “the cathedral”, although Novi Sad belongs to the Diocese of Subotica, whose cathedral stands in Subotica.
According to the Hungarian Catholic Lexicon, the Catholic parish of Novi Sad was already mentioned in 1332; after the expulsion of the Ottomans it was re-established in 1702. The Baroque church built in the 18th century caught fire during the bombardment of 12 June 1849, its tower collapsed, and it never regained its former shape when it was repaired. In 1891 the city council therefore decided to build a new church worthy of a free royal city.
The architect György Molnár drew up the plans in 1892 free of charge – in gratitude, his bust was placed in a niche beneath the choir. The old church was demolished that same year; the structure of the new building was completed by November 1893, the gilded cross was raised onto the tower in October 1894, and the church was consecrated in 1895. In 1904 a fire destroyed the roof, which was restored with donations.
The facade of the three-aisled Gothic Revival church is faced with yellow brick, its 72-metre tower makes it the third-tallest church in Bačka, and its roof is covered with Zsolnay ceramic tiles from Pécs. The stained-glass windows were made in Budapest. Of its four altars, the main altarpiece shows the Virgin Mary with the holy Hungarian kings Stephen and Ladislaus; the side altars are dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, Saint Florian and the Holy Sepulchre. The two-manual organ with 24 stops was built by the Rieger firm in 1894.
Pilgrimage feast: the church celebrates its patronal feast on the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, 12 September.
Visiting: the church stands on the main square of Novi Sad, Freedom Square (Trg slobode), which is also home to the City Hall, likewise designed by György Molnár. It is an easy walk from the pedestrian streets of the old town, and a visit combines well with the Tekije shrine in Petrovaradin on the opposite bank of the Danube.
Sources: Hungarian Catholic Lexicon · Wikipedia (Serbian) · Wikipedia (English)
Photo: Myself / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 · Photo: Skelanard / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Town:
Novi Sad (Újvidék)
