For the duration of the
Ottoman rule (1552–1718) there stood a mosque, but was razed down by the Austrians following Turkish withdrawal from the city and
Banat. However, this is not the first cathedral built following the removal of the mosque. Prior to the cathedral seen today, a
Baroque-style church, built in 1768, stood in its place. Over the next century, the building deteriorated badly and the authorities decided to build a new one. The construction of the present-day cathedral commenced in 1864 by the project of Franz Xaver Brandeisz, who also built several churches in
Banat, and lasted four years. == Features ==