About

The Church of Saint Ladislaus is one of the oldest ecclesiastical constructions in the city. The construction of the church, which served as an episcopal cathedral for a while, started around 1720 and was finished in 1741.

In the incipient phase, it was composed of a single nave and a semi-circular apse. The church was consecrated by Bishop Forgách Pál in 1756.

The architecture

The volumetry and visual elements of the façade were given their current form around 1800, when the tower and the wing of the nave were connected through the two “mirrored panels.” In the final years of the 19^th century, the metallic spire of the tower was also created, imitating the somber, classicized lines of the Moon Church’s spire. The façade is rhythmically punctuated by a few discreet designs, with the entire edifice expressing the understated elegance of the provincial late Baroque style.

The interior

Dedicated to the Holy Healer (Thaumaturge) and founder of the settlement, the church develops along with and in his image, especially in the ceiling area, which renders the most important moments of his life: the legend of the foundation, the legend of his death and burial in Oradea’s Fortress, as well as the moment of his sanctification. The themes are rendered once more on the main access door, where one can find metallic engravings of the same legendary / historical moments.

We should also point out that the oldest altar in Oradea can be found within the church, an altar that has been the exact same in form and function to this day ever since 1730.