Assumption of the Virgin Mary Catholic Church

The church and monastery were built according to the plans of J. G. Altenburger, according to the surviving documents, between 1722 and 1778. The church and monastery built by the Paulaners are an outstanding work of late Baroque architecture. ; The church building has a single nave, with a segmental arched sanctuary. Its tower is built into the main facade. Its interior walls and vaults are decorated with frescoes and decorative artistic paintings. These are mainly the works of F. Sogrist from 1778, which immortalize a moment in the life of Saint Francis of Paola. The ceiling fresco in the sanctuary of the Somorja church, for example, depicts the meeting of King Louis XVI of France and Saint Francis of Paola. The news of Saint Francis' ascetic virtue and healing abilities reached the sick king and Pope Sixtus IV invited the monk to Tours. Francis had difficulty deciding to go, and then he told the king without hesitation that he could not cure him, and that God would not help him either, but that he could prepare him for a Christian death. Today this church is called the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The church is connected to the monastery by a corridor and a sacristy. ; The church's organ was built in 1866 by one of the most prominent organ builders of the time, Ludvig Mooser. Its original composition is unknown, but from the surviving pipes it can be concluded that the organ originally had 20 stops. Later interventions and repairs significantly worsened the condition of the pipes. By the turn of the millennium, its condition had become so critical that the idea of its reconstruction and restoration (not just a general overhaul) was raised. By 2005, the restoration of the organ to its original condition was completed. Its ceremonial inauguration took place on June 26, 2005. ; The Pauline Order – or as it was initially called, the Order of Jesus and Mary – was founded by Saint Francis of Paula, and the foundation was confirmed by Pope Sixtus IV in 1474. ; The Pauline Order was a Roman Catholic mendicant order living a strict ascetic life. They also called themselves Minimalists (“least brothers”), and are often confused with the Pauline Order. Their motto – Charitas (love) – expressed their relationship to God and their neighbors. They lived a humble and penitential life, and in addition to their other monastic vows (vows of poverty and silence), they also had to give up eating meat and foods made with fat and butter. The Pauline Order was only able to continue its activities, initially building monasteries and churches, and later missionary, pastoral and educational, for a few decades, until Joseph II dissolved the monastic order in 1786. The vacant church and monastery then became the property of the Catholic community of Somorja and the city. The monastery is now called Korona – this name comes from the Korona restaurant that operated in the city-owned wing of the building until the 1960s.