[1][2] According to historical and archaeological sources, the present-day cathedral was built in the place of an earlier church, which was also consecrated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

[3][4] The Cathedral of St. Elizabeth is the largest church in Slovakia, with a total area of 1,200 square metres (13,000 sq ft) and a capacity of more than 5,000 people.

In 1402, Pope Boniface IX issued an indulgence bull stating that all pilgrims who contributed to Košice's church had their sins forgiven.

[10][b] A reference from 1411 indicates that the construction of the cathedral was overseen by a director named Mikuláš and Emperor Sigismund's master builder, Peter from Budin.

[11] The use of new construction masonry invented by Peter Parler in 1420 brought about a significant[citation needed] change in the architecture of the cathedral.

The portal decorations of the main nave and side aisles were inspired by Gothic buildings in Prague and Kraków, and were included in the second construction stage.

[13] Master Štefan built side aisle that were not originally included in the floor plan, a change which was financed by rich city-dwelling families.

The cathedral was heavily damaged in the attack, and Nikolaus Krumpholz of Niš was charged with its reconstruction, with master builder Vaclav of Prague assisting him.

During the 19th century, there was an initiative for the cathedral to be reconstructed in neo-Gothic style, which was organised by Bishop Ignác Fábry and artist Imre Henszlmann.

Fábry's reconstruction altered several portals' statues, changed clapboards to ceramic roof-tiles, replaced the stock of new window panes, and undertook repairs of the south hall and interior painting.

Some of the columns were off-center from their central line, and their bases were standing on a colour blade layer[clarification needed] which was soaked by ground water.

Steindl determined that, based on ruptures visible in arches, the location of the pillars in the aisles was the primary contributor to the structural damage present in the cathedral.

Parts of the exterior of the cathedral were also rebuilt, such as an adjustment to the external walls and gavels, and repairs to supporting columns, water-chutes, windows, and portals.

Rebuilding the towers in the Gothic style was not realized largely due to a lack of funds, which was also reflected in the use of cheaper construction material.

In 1896, new neo-Gothic interior furnishings (altars, statues, pictures) were bought and donated to Košice's Cathedral by the Hungarian clergy, the Bishop of Kassa, and Zsigmond Bubics (a wealthy patron).

The foundation of the cathedral shows an apparent alternate floor plan with four subordinate spaces, inserted between the arms of main and cross aisle.

The north, the south, and west portals in Košice have complex profiles, consisting of dynamic curves, alternating horizontal and vertical cornices, and decorative pinnacles.

The windows also contain the heraldry of the countries ruled by 15th-century King Matthias Corvinus: Dalmatia, The Big Bulgaria, Transylvania, Hungary, Serbia, Slavonia, Croatia, Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia.

One of the series of neo-Gothic altarpieces from 1896 bought for the cathedral on the occasion of the millennial celebration of the Hungarians' arrival to the homeland, as well as of the termination of restoration works.

In 1892, during the large-scale reconstruction works, a number of original Gothic frescoes were discovered hidden under a layer of plaster since the period of Reformation.

In the northern side apse, next to the entrance of the sacristy, is another set of genuine Gothic frescoes, including The Descent from the Cross, dating back to the 16th century and conceived as a winged wall altarpiece.

The original one was discovered in Košice by a collector, Austrian Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek, who bought it and had it transported to his castle Burg Kreuzenstein near Vienna.

The Baroque epitaph of the family of Rainer Melichar—the municipal reeve (mayor)—is one of the few neo-Gothic relics preserved in the cathedral and dates back to the beginning of the 17th century.

Another Baroque relic in the cathedral which appropriately amplifies the aesthetic interior décor is a hanging aureole from the first half of the 18th century, installed under the triumphal arch.

The oppositely positioned canonical pews in the presbytery were crafted during the period of large-scale reconstruction works of the cathedral (mid-1800s) in accordance with the design of the main architect, Imre Steindl.

[25] The stone gallery located on the north wall of the main aisle (in place of a presbytery) belongs to the original accommodation of the cathedral.

Beside the north wall of the dome, a crypt was built in 1906 for the remains of Francis II Rákoczi—Hungarian nobleman and Prince of Transylvania—and his family and favored friends.

The other statues at the portal are saints, emperor Constantine the Great, Elizabeth of Hungary, Adalbert of Prague, Andrew the Apostle (patron of Košice archdiocese), Francis Xavier, and Bishop Teodor.

On the exterior wall of the south façade, above the biggest window of the Mettercie Chapel, is situated the horologe-type sun dial, dating from the year 1477.

Construction continuing over the centuries gave birth to the legend of the “hollow stone”, which the builders put in an unknown place in the cathedral.