St. Catherine Church

The story of St. Catherine Church starts in the Middle Age. Located outside the fortification, it was turned into a mosque during the Ottoman rule, then once the city was conquered by the Habsburgs in the 18th century, it was reconsecrated and given to the Franciscan Order.

However, the church building interfered with the fortification’s expansion and the construction of the new bastions, so it was demolished in 1757. In return, the Franciscans received land inside the fortification, where they built a new Baroque church. The foundation stone was laid in 1753. At the end of the 19th century, the church was entirely reconstructed according to the plans of the famous architect Camillo Sitte and received the existing tower.

Blending into the front of a lesser circulated street, St. Catherine Church is truly one of the hidden treasures of the city. Nowadays, the church serves the Slovak Catholic community in Timisoara