From the Buda side of Budapest, we got a great view of the Pest side of the city. Standing out in the city, was St Stephen’s Basilica which is a fairly modern structure. This church has a rough history. Not what you would call blessed by God.
Though planning started much earlier, construction began in 1851 but was seriously delayed when the dome collapsed in 1858. As a result, everything up to then had to be demolished and rebuilt again from the ground up. And of course, funds had to be raised for that purpose. It was consecrated in 1905.
The basilica suffered significant damage from bombing in the Siege of Budapest (1944–1945), during the Second World War. Its walls, towers and the roof all had to be rebuilt a second time. Several subsequent renovations, in the late twentieth century, left the church in its current state. But the Hungarians were determined to keep going.
The church is huge with a length of 87 metres and a width of 55 metres and a maximum height of 87 metres, precisely the height of the Parliament building. The equivalence was intended to teach us that worldly and spiritual thinking were equally important, but I am not sure that either realm ever believed that.
In terms of its dimensions, St Stephen’s is immense, spanning a length of 87 metres, a width of 55 metres and a maximum height of 96 metres, exactly the same height as the Parliament building. The enormous church honours St Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, (c. 975–1038), who established Christianity and the kingdom of Hungary. His mummified right hand is house inside as a relic. I don’t understand why anyone would want to keep that, but no one asked me for my opinion. I am not a big fan of collecting body parts whether in Hungary or Canada, but I know this is an unpopular minority view.
It is certainly considered one of the landmarks of Budapest and Hungary. It is the third largest church in Hungary and the largest in Budapest. It is part of that region that has been declared a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The church provided shelter for many refugees during the Second World War. It was a place of sanctuary, something people used to consider worthy and important.
It is certainly one of the landmarks of Budapest, and I am told a wonderful place to listen to organ concerts. I St Stephen’s Basilica is one of the most important landmarks in Budapest is. It is a work of art, and in my view should have been given the appropriate space. You can see from my photo how it is clogged up in the city. That is a pity.