The Church of St Elizabeth — known universally as the Blue Church — is one of the most visually striking buildings in Bratislava and a pilgrimage site for fans of Art Nouveau architecture. The building is covered top to bottom in pale blue and white glazed tiles, from the dome and towers down to the base. Decorated with floral motifs and intricate ornamental detail, it looks more like a Fabergé egg than a church.
The interior matches the exterior in its commitment to the colour scheme and the decorative approach. The blue continues on the walls, the furnishings, and the tile-work, creating an effect that is simultaneously otherworldly and surprisingly calm. The church remains active and is often locked outside of service times, but the exterior alone repays the 10-minute walk east from the old town.
Built to serve the student population of the Gymnasium next door, the church was constructed at the peak of the Art Nouveau movement in 1913, just as the style was beginning to give way to Modernism elsewhere. It was dedicated to St Elizabeth of Hungary, who was born in this part of the world in 1207.