Chapter 17 - St. Michael's Church in Sopron, Part 1

Every time Bob and I drive into Hungary to go to Tesco (like Walmart) in Sopron, we pass a beautiful old church. This past weekend on a cold, windy and drizzly day, we went to see the church. It's an amazing complex of churches, chapels, statues, commemorations, tombs and cemeteries.

The church was first mentioned in writing in 1278, but historians believe an earlier shrine occupied the site during the pre-Christian era. The church was completed in its current size in the 15th century and is considered to be second in significance among Gothic buildings in Hungary. Of course it has undergone several renovations over the centuries. The church was used by Catholics alone for a few centuries, Catholics and Protestants shared it between 1576 and 1584, Protestants occupied it alone from 1608 to 1674 when it was reclaimed by the town parish for sole Catholic use.

Much of the earlier, invaluable Gothic carvings and altar sculptures were destroyed by protestant zealots after 1608 so much of the interior decoration is 17th century Baroque. The most valuable pieces are stored and brought out only for special events. Most of the medieval artifacts are on display in the museum of Ecclesiastic Art at Orsolya ter.

The cemetery behind the church has been a graveyard since Roman times. The wall that extends around the church and down the street was constructed in the Middle Ages. Older bones were placed in the 13th century St. Jacob chapel built as an ossuary.

Two views of the front of the church.




Two views of the interior of the church.




The interior door - apparently always locked except when
a service will be conducted (for fear of thieves).


There are many of these Stations of the Cross
on the church grounds.




Views of the sides of the church.


Note the section of the old wall on this side of the church.


This is a section of the wall behind the church.
This part has not been renovated.


The wall extends over a quarter of a mile surrounding
both churches.


This is a rear view of the church.


St. Jacob's Chapel, built as an ossuary in the 13th
century. It's very plain inside with a simple altar.


View from the back gates of the church. You can see
the most famous building in Sopron - the Fire Tower,
built in the 12th century. The Fire Tower is in the
middle of the Old Town, so St. Michael's was built
on the edge of the (then) town.