Saint Emeric Church in Székesfehérvár, Catholic church building in Székesfehérvár, Hungary.
Saint Emeric Church is a Baroque Franciscan church built between 1720 and 1743 on Városház tér, on the site of the former royal palace where Saint Emeric is said to have been born. Its nave and elongated presbytery share the same roof ridge, and the 52-metre northwest bell tower, added in 1866, holds four bells. The interior has a four-bay barrel vault with lunettes and a neo-Baroque painted scheme from 1929–30.
The Franciscans, present in Székesfehérvár since the 13th century, built the church between 1720 and 1743 on the site of the former royal palace where Saint Emeric is said to have been born in 1007. The order had left during the Ottoman occupation and returned in 1688. The tower was rebuilt in 1866, and the interior was redecorated in 1929–30 for the 700th anniversary of the Franciscans' settlement and the 900th anniversary of Emeric's death.
The high altar painting shows Saint Emeric being carried to heaven by angels; the original was repainted in 1884. The church keeps its parish fair (kermesse) on 5 November. The side chapels hold the statues of Saint Rita of Cascia and the Lourdes Virgin, and a painting of the Sorrowful Mother instead of a statue.
The main entrance sits in the middle of the facade on Városház tér, while a second, newer entrance opens on the side of the nave; the tower stands beside the sanctuary, not the facade. The church is still run by the diocese as a church directorate, and the former monastery next door now holds the Diocesan Museum, a canteen and other tenants. The side entrance facing the square was cut in 1929, for the 900th anniversary of Prince Emeric's death.
The church's cornerstone holds a relic of Saint Emeric, the son of King Stephen I, who according to tradition was born on this site in 1007. The high altar painting shows angels carrying Emeric to heaven; the original was overpainted in 1884.
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