Altarpiece of the Cathedral

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Constantine Square in Vác is not only notable for its monumental size, its tall spires, its special bells and its four-metre-high crypt. Did you know that the altarpiece of the cathedral also has an interesting story to tell?

The frescoes on the main altar and the dome are the work of one of the most important painters of the time, Franz Anton Maulbertsch. The painting on the high altar depicts the visit of the Virgin Mary to St Elizabeth, the Visitation, the meeting of the two women in a blessed state. The commissioning bishop must have been unhappy with this magnificent composition, because shortly after it was completed he covered it up with an oil painting by Johann (Kremser) Schmidt. 

This precious Golgotha depiction was only removed from the fresco in the early 1940s, and is now displayed on the wall of one of the right side altars, opposite the entrance, near Schmidt's other paintings.