St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent István-bazilika (Hungarian)) is a Catholic church in the neoclassical style. It is located in the historical district of Pest. Saint Stephen was the first king of Hungary from the Arpad dynasty. He was canonized as a saint for the Christianization of Hungarians. St. Stephen's Basilica, together with the building of the Hungarian Parliament and the hall of the Buda Fortress, is rightfully considered the hallmark of Budapest.
Saint Stephen ascended the throne on August 20, 1000. Therefore, August 20 is the national holiday of the Hungarians - St. Stephen's Day. The holiday will end with a beautiful fireworks display over the Danube. This basilica is not only a magnificent Catholic church. Organ music concerts also take place here, and the square offers a wonderful panorama.
The temple was built by three architects. The first one made a mistake in the design and the dome of the almost finished building collapsed, although the architect did not see this, because he died before that. His successor Miklos Ibl showed amazing talent and dexterity and created a new dome, but he also did not reach the end of construction, because he also gave his soul to the Lord. Based on his drawings, the third architect completed the work.
Construction was completed in 1905. The Emperor of Austria-Hungary was present at its consecration. Above the entrance to the temple there is an inscription in Latin, which translates as: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” These are the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John (14:6).
In 1983, a 20-year restoration of the temple began. A visible square has been added to it. To get there, you need to climb 364 steps. Since many tourists would not be able to do this, the builders installed two elevators within the walls of the basilica.
The area of the basilica is 4700 square meters, height is 96 meters. 8 thousand believers can be accommodated here at the same time. On the sides of the dome there are 2 towers with a diameter of 22 meters. In one of them hangs a nine-tone bell, the sound of which carries very far. There are 4 bells in the basilica.
The interior of the temple delights visitors. Once a year, on August 20, the holy relics of St. Stephen are taken out into the open air.
The Treasure Museum is located to the right of the main entrance to the basilica. Exhibits telling about the centuries-old history of the temple, important documents, and ancient liturgical objects (they are used during ceremonial services) are stored here.
The building has excellent acoustics. That is why many tourists attend organ music concerts in the evenings. Ticket prices start from 6,000 forints. You can buy it locally or online. The ticket office is located on the right side of the basilica.
Ticket prices for St. Stephen's Basilica are:
- entrance ticket and lift to the observation deck for adults - 1200 forints, children under 7 years old - free;
- museum tour for adults - 2200 forints, for children under 7 years old - free;
- full ticket (observation area and treasure museum) for adults - 3200 HUF, children under 7 years old - free.
Basilica address: Saint Stephen's square 1 (Szent István tér 1).
Works every day. Observation deck: Monday - 09:00-16:30, Tuesday-Saturday - 09:00-17:45, Sunday - 13:00-17:45.
For details and current information, see the official website of St. Stephen's Basilica: https://www.bazilika.biz/.
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