In the ancient city of Uzhgorod different religions have coexisted for centuries, and each of them has its own abodes: ancient and young, big and small. One of the brightest representatives of Catholicism in Uzhgorod is the Costel of St. George — one of the oldest Catholic churches in the city.
If you walk along the main pedestrian street of Uzhgorod — Korzo, at its intersection with Voloshyn Street, your eyes will inevitably stop at a tall beautiful building with three dome turrets. Even a person who does not have a deep knowledge of architecture will realize that this building is obviously not one century old. And so it is — the Church of St. George has been decorating the historical center of Uzhgorod for more than three hundred years.
According to the date of the beginning of construction St. George’s Church in Uzhgorod is the oldest. In 1610, the head of the city, Yuri Druget, who returned to the bosom of the Catholic Church, destroyed the Lutheran church that stood on this place and planned to build a Catholic church. The church was built quickly, but already in 1620 the power in the city changed — Uzhgorod passed into the hands of Miklos Bercheny, and all the works were not completed until the end. The young temple, which was the subject of disputes between the Reformed and Catholics, became dilapidated already at the beginning of the XVIII century. The final completion of construction and serious restoration of the church took place only in 1763-1766, when the building acquired the appearance that can be seen today.
Archdeacon Emerich Horvat, who led the restoration, focused on the late Baroque (Neo-Baroque) style. Materials left from the castle church were used. The interiors of the church were also made in the Neo-Baroque style. The famous Hungarian master Janos Lukacs worked on the decoration of the church. The magnificent painting for the church altar was painted by Lukács József Krakker — it is one of the main decorations of the church to this day. The altar itself, also considered one of the pearls of the church, was completed only in 1895. The interior of the church has survived unchanged and is of great interest not only to the faithful, but also to fans of antiquity.
The clock on the four-sided tower above the entrance was installed in 1820. However, the clock that can be seen on the church today is the third one, it has been measuring the passage of time since 1904 — the first one was damaged by a fire and the second one stopped.
The St. George’s Church reached our time in the middle of the XVIII century without any external changes. During the war years it was not subjected to the sad fate of many churches, and time has not changed its appearance thanks to the fact that the restoration works were always carried out in time: in 1830 the church was enlarged and renovated, two more restorations were carried out in 1881 and 1910, and the last one — in 2000-2001. The last restoration returned to the churchyard the sculpture of St. Mary, which had adorned the church from its foundation until the end of World War II.
Today, as many years ago, the Church of St. George still remains one of the most beautiful buildings in the historic center of Uzhgorod. It has played an important role in making this urban area one of the most beautiful. Because of the cross crowning the main dome, the intersection of Korzo and Voloshyn Streets is nicknamed the cross by locals — it is one of Uzhgorod’s favorite meeting places.
For all guests of the city, visiting this Uzhgorod attraction becomes one of the most interesting events. Such ancient sights of Ukraine as the Church of St. George (St. George) always leave a pleasant trace in the soul, having a special energy and admiring its beauty.