St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent Istvan Bazilika), Budapest

I found this church by accidently and very impressive by its beautiful. I didn't know its name until i left there. By the way, i knew from postcard, it is St.Stephen's Basilica,the Budapest's largest church. This church contains the mummified right hand of King St. Stephen, founder of the Hungarian state.
and holding more than 8000 worshippers.

One of the most nice churches of Budapest is the Szent Istvan Bazilika. It is the neorenassance masterpiece of the architects Jozsef Hild and Miklos Ybl. They started to built the Basilica in 1851, but due to the collapse of the cupola, they ended the work only in 1905. The church has got a Greek cross shape with two towers bell on the facade. The big cupola is 96 metres high and 22 metres large. It collapsed a second time during the War World II. On the facade there are sculptures with the Madonna with Magyar Saints.

On the major Altar of the wonderful Bazilika there is the statue of S.Stephen, made with Carrara marble by Alajos Srtobl. On the altar and on the transet over it there are paintings made by Gyula Benczur: S.Stephen that give the crown to the Vergine.

Inside the Szent Istvan Bazilika you can see over 55 kinds of Magyar marbles. Under the cupola, on each side, there are statues of Hungarian Saints like S.Elizabeth, S.Ladislao, S.Gerard, S.Emerico. On the big cupula you can see wonderful mosaics made by Antonio Salviati in Venice with drawings of Karoly Lotz.

A very nice experience that you can do when you visit the S.Stephen Basilica is to go on the cupola.
There is a comfortable lift which carry you on it and here you can see a wonderful landscape of Budapest: you can see the Royal Palace, the Matyas templom, the Parliament, the Opera, the Gellert Hegy, and many others nice buildings.
A great experience!!!!

In a chapel of the Basilica you can find a relic: the right hand of king Saint Stephen founder of Hungary.
King Stephen died on 15th August 1038. On 15th August 1083 he was canonized in Szekesfehervar. His right hand found intact has been highly esteemed by the Nation ever since. It has and adventurous fate: it had been kept in Bihar (Transylvania). Ragusa (Dalmatia now Dubrovnik), then Vienna, from where it was brought to Buda in 1771. In 1944 it was carried away to Venice, it was returned to Hungary on 19th August 1945.

This is the largest church in Budapest, and 3rd largest in Hungary. It was finished in 1906, and although it was heavily damaged during World War II, it is still standing. The curch holds relics of St. István, including part of his skull and his hand.

Probably, from the castle hill, you will notice this huge and magnificient building over the Danube and Chain Bridge. And then, when you cross the Chain Bridge, and reach the Roosevelt ter, you would know that it sites on the Zerinyi Utca. And it stands on the large square (Szent Istvan ter), so it attracts our eyes ;)

Szent Istvan( St. Stephan) is the first Hungarian king, who accepted the Christianity in Hungary. So, he became a saint by the Catholic church.

Inside is well decorated, but the view from the cupola is stunning.