St. Elizabeth Church and Monastery of the Árpád House

The church is located in the Old Town of Bratislava. After the change of regime, the Sisters of St. Elizabeth got back the church and the adjacent monastery and hospital, and the members of the order are currently mainly engaged in caring for cancer patients. The patron saint of the church is St. Elizabeth of Árpád-háza. ; The church was built in the Baroque period between 1739 and 1745 according to the designs of Antal Ferenc Pilgram. The construction was financially covered by Primate Imre Esterházy. The church's paintings and frescoes are the work of the Viennese master Paul Troger. The sculptures were probably made by Lajos Gode. The sculptor, who lived in Bratislava, was one of Donner's students and worked in several northern and northwestern settlements of historical Hungary (Győr, Trenčín), mainly creating sculptures and pulpits for church interiors. Donner was no longer alive when these six sculptures could be put in place. ; The altarpiece of the church was made in 1739. It depicts the vision of Saint Elizabeth. On both sides of the altar are statues of two Franciscan saints, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Anthony of Padua. In 1743, Paul Troger also painted the paintings of the two side altars, the themes of which are the Holy Family and the Lamentation of the Dead Christ. The frescoes on the arches depict the allegory of the church, the veneration of Saint Elizabeth and the allegory of mercy. On the pillars supporting the central dome, allegorical depictions of the four virtues (courage, wisdom, justice, peace) made in 1742 can be seen. All other works of fine art are connected to the life of Saint Elizabeth. ; Five of the six statues depicting saints on the facade are closely connected to Hungarian history, as they depict two actual rulers (Stephen and Ladislaus) (with their royal attributes), as well as two members of the royal family (Erzsébet and Imre), who, although they did not ascend to the throne, were nevertheless of great importance. We can see Elizabeth, to whom the church and monastery were dedicated, twice, and Saint Joseph is seen with the baby Jesus in his arms. ; The church should not be confused with the Church of Saint Elizabeth, also in Bratislava, designed by Ödön Lechner, also known as the Blue Church, and one of the outstanding works of Hungarian Art Nouveau.