Among the historic monuments are the house in which Matthias I Corvinus (king of Hungary, 1458–90) was born; the Roman Catholic cathedral of St. Michael (1321–1444), one of the largest Gothic churches in Romania; and the Bánffy Palace (1773–85), now a fine arts museum. The city is the location of the Babeș-Bolyai University, several technical and professional institutes, the Ion Andreescu Institute of Fine Arts, the Gheorghe Dima Conservatory, and a branch of the Academy of Romania. The institute of speleology was the first of its kind in the world. The botanical gardens are considered to be the richest in Romania.