# Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Cluj County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/cluj) › [Cluj-Napoca](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/cluj-napoca)

> The Baroque church on Piața Muzeului, dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows, with a 52 m tower, a revolving high altar and 18th-century chapels, built on the site of a church of 1260.

**At a glance:** Churches in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County. The visit takes 30 min. Information verified on 27 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Holy Mass is on Sundays at 9:00 and 12:00, and on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the evening. Tourist visiting is suspended during services.
- **Visit duration:** 30 min — the church only
- **With kids:** Yes — short, quiet visit
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — in the historic centre
- **Best season:** All year round — all year
- **Address:** Piața Muzeului 2, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County
- **Coordinates:** 46.77194, 23.58799
- **Phone:** +40 264 594 377
- **Website:** http://ofm.ro/kolozsvariferencesek/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca_Franciscan_Church
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q517441
- **Categories:** [Churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserici), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice)

## About Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca

The Franciscan Church, called in Hungarian the “friars' church” (barátok temploma), stands on Piața Muzeului (Museum Square), in the old part of Cluj, next to the Carolina Obelisk. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows and has been, over time, the church of several orders and denominations. On the same spot, tradition says, stood the town's first church, destroyed by the Tatars in 1241; in 1260 the town's church was built here, and around 1420 it passed to the Dominicans. They enlarged it in the Gothic style between the middle of the 15th century and 1521, with a salt revenue granted by John Hunyadi in 1455.

In 1556 the monks were driven out of the town, and the church passed in turn to the Lutherans, the Reformed and the Unitarians. In 1693 it was given to the Jesuits, and in 1725 to the Franciscans, who were returning to Cluj after almost 170 years. The Gothic vault had collapsed, so between 1728 and 1745 the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style; the tower with its onion dome, 52 m high, was raised between 1740 and 1743, and in July 1745 the Bishop of Transylvania consecrated the building. The neighbouring monastery was taken from the Franciscans in 1951, but the church remained a place of worship.

### What you can see

Above the entrance, in the niche of the tower, stands the statue of the Virgin Mary, and in the upper niches of the façade are St Francis and St Anthony, all carved by the sculptor Johannes Nachtigall in the 1750s. Inside, the Baroque nave has a vault painted in 1900 with Franciscan scenes by the painter János Adorján. The high altar revolves: in the same recess a 1730 copy of the icon of Our Lady of the Snows from Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, a statue of the Heart of Mary and a Crucifixion are shown in turn. The Baroque pulpit, with the bust of Jesus and the four evangelists, dates from 1740. On the south side are four chapels, among them that of the Holy Cross, with the great crucifix brought here by Governor Zsigmond Kornis in 1731, and the Loreto chapel. On the choir gallery stands the organ built in 1908 by the Angster firm of Pécs.

### Good to know

The church is in use and is busiest on Tuesdays, a day of pilgrimage to St Anthony since 1900. Services take priority, and between them it can be visited quietly. The monastery behind, entered from Victor Deleu street, is not part of the church visit. Nearby are the [Pharmacy Museum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-farmaciei-cluj-napoca) and the [National History Museum of Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-national-de-istorie-a-transilvaniei).

## Don't miss

- The Baroque tower with its onion dome, 52 m high, on Piața Muzeului.
- Nachtigall's statues in the façade niches: the Virgin Mary, St Francis and St Anthony.
- The revolving high altar, with the 1730 copy of the icon of Our Lady of the Snows.
- The Baroque pulpit of 1740 and the vault painted with Franciscan scenes.
- The Holy Cross chapel and the Loreto chapel on the south side.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Cluj-Napoca is ~155 km from Oradea (~3 hours), ~107 km from Târgu Mureș (~1 h 30), ~177 km from Sibiu (~2 h 30) and ~440 km from Bucharest (~6 h 30). Piața Muzeului is in the old centre, with car traffic restricted, so the car stays in a nearby car park.

**Public transport:** Cluj-Napoca railway station is ~2 km away, by the city's public transport or about a 25-minute walk. The church is ~250 m from Piața Unirii, along the pedestrian streets of the centre.

### Where to park

Parking in the centre of Cluj is paid, at the machines or in the app, and spaces around Piața Muzeului are few. The public car parks nearby are a 5–10-minute walk away; at weekends and in summer they fill up quickly.

### Rules

This is a working church: keep quiet and dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered); services take priority over visits. Photography without flash is usually accepted outside services. Animals are not allowed.

### Facilities

cafés and restaurants on Piața Muzeului and the surrounding streets · good mobile signal

## Details

- **Construction period:** 13th–18th c.
- **Dedication:** Our Lady of the Snows
- **Denomination:** Roman Catholic
- **Architectural style:** Baroque
- **Historical period:** Middle Ages

## Frequently asked questions about Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca

**How long does a visit to Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca take?**

A visit to Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca takes about 30 min (the church only).

**Can you visit Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca with kids?**

Yes, Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca is suitable for children (short, quiet visit).

**Where can I park at Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca?**

There is paid parking at Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca (in the historic centre). Parking in the centre of Cluj is paid, at the machines or in the app, and spaces around Piața Muzeului are few. The public car parks nearby are a 5–10-minute walk away; at weekends and in summer they fill up quickly.

**How do I get to Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca?**

Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca is located at Piața Muzeului 2, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County. By car: Cluj-Napoca is ~155 km from Oradea (~3 hours), ~107 km from Târgu Mureș (~1 h 30), ~177 km from Sibiu (~2 h 30) and ~440 km from Bucharest (~6 h 30). Piața Muzeului is in the old centre, with car traffic restricted, so the car stays in a nearby car park. Public transport: Cluj-Napoca railway station is ~2 km away, by the city's public transport or about a 25-minute walk. The church is ~250 m from Piața Unirii, along the pedestrian streets of the centre.

**When is the best time to visit Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca?**

The best season for Franciscan Church, Cluj-Napoca: All year round (all year).

## Nearby attractions

- [Matthias Corvinus House](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/casa-matia-corvin-cluj-napoca) — Monuments and historic sites · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 15 min · 0 km
  A Gothic house of the 15th century where King Matthias Corvinus was born in 1443; today it belongs to the University of Art and Design and is best seen from the street, with its pointed-arch portal and commemorative plaques.
- [National Museum of Transylvanian History](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-national-de-istorie-a-transilvaniei) — Museums and memorial houses · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 33 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 0 km
  Cluj's museum of history and archaeology, in the building on Piața Muzeului: the exhibition “Untold Treasures”, the Roman Lapidarium and the Medieval Lapidarium, from the museum's collections of over 450,000 items.
- [Pharmacy Museum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-farmaciei-cluj-napoca) — Museums and memorial houses · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 44 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 0 km
  A department of the National Museum of Transylvanian History, in Hintz House on Union Square, in the oldest pharmacy in Cluj: the dispensary with 18th-century decoration, the laboratory and old medical equipment.
- [Bánffy Palace in Cluj-Napoca](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/palatul-banffy-cluj-napoca) — Castles and palaces · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 16 lei · Top 100 · 0 km
  The finest Baroque palace in Transylvania, built between 1774 and 1785 on Cluj's Union Square, with classical statues along its attic; it houses the Art Museum, with five centuries of Romanian and Transylvanian painting.
- [St Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Cluj-Napoca](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-sfantul-mihail-cluj-napoca) — Churches · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 30 min · 0 km
  The Gothic hall church on Piața Unirii, built in the 14th–15th centuries, with a 76 m Neo-Gothic tower, a Baroque pulpit and the frescoes of the Schleunig chapel.
- [Firemen's Tower](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/turnul-pompierilor-cluj-napoca) — Fortresses and fortifications · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · Free · 45 min · 0 km
  A medieval tower on Cluj's second ring of walls, completed in 1574 and used as a fire lookout until 1936; renovated in 2023, it has a 360° panoramic terrace and exhibitions on the inner staircase.

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Last updated: 27 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania