Church of St. Michael
The oldest parish church of Sopron that stands on St. Michael's Hill was founded in the 13th century, before the Mongol invasion.
Its first written mention can be dated to 1278, but the church in its present size was completed by 1484. According to assumptions, King Matthias also took part in its consecration. Due to the long period of its construction, the church simultaneously bears the bulkiness of the Romanesque architecture and the aspiring features of the Gothic style.
With the dimensions and proportions of the church, it is the most significant Gothic building in Hungary after the Matthias Church in the Buda castle.
The stone wall surrounding the church and the cemetery, the thick walls of the church and the circular balcony of the Gothic tower that also served as a watchtower prove that the church played a significant protective role. It nearly led to its demolition in 1532 during the Turkish occupation, when there were plans about pulling it down just like the Church of the Virgin Mary next to the castle wall.
Historical sources tell about the existence of 20 altars from the 15th century, some of which were destroyed in 1605 by the troops of the Transylvanian Prince István Bocskai as they were ravaging the outskirts of Sopron, setting fire to everything made of wood in the church.
Succeeding parish priests renovated the interior in Baroque style. The Neo-Gothic furbishing that still exists today was designed by Ferenc Storno Sr.
In the middle of the western façade of the church a 48-meter-high tower rises that has been rebuilt several times. The lower part of the rectangle and the second and third floors of the octagon were made in the 13th century.
The treasury's old, gothic, glazed tiled floor is unique. Such large-scale contiguous ceramic flooring can be only found here in Hungary.
The church, cemetery and sacristy house will be completely renovated in 2020, during which the exterior and interior of the church will be completely renovated, the sacristy house will also be renewed and conference and community rooms will be created in it. One of the oldest Christian sacred monuments in Sopron will be a new tourist attraction for the farmer-poncichter district.
