Budapest is a city that is not enough to talk about - you need to see it. At least once in your life to see it with your own eyes. In the Hungarian capital, there is so much wonder and wonder that it’s hard to decide which attractions to start exploring with the metropolis. But no matter what object you choose, be sure to visit St. Matthias Church. The cathedral belongs to the complex of the Buda Castle and is an incredibly beautiful temple. During its existence, he survived many wars and destruction, but survived to surprise and fascinate tourists today with his grandeur and indescribable beauty.
Cathedral Description
The St. Matthias Church in Budapest (photo can be found in the article) has an incredibly festive appearance. The roof, lined with colored tiles, Gothic-style turrets, white stone walls, stucco molding on window openings give the cathedral a special elegance and set it apart from other architectural structures of the capital of Hungary.
St. Matthias Church is also distinguished by an exquisite interior. Its main decoration was multi-colored stained-glass windows, unsurpassed wall paintings made by famous artists Szekej and Lotz, an unusual mosaic and sculpture of the Madonna. Today, the Church operates the Spiritual Art Museum. In it you can see sacred relics, various coronation accessories and exact duplicates of the Holy Crown.
In addition to the fact that the cathedral is an architectural heritage, it still plays an important historical role. So, it was here that Franz Joseph and his wife were crowned. King Bel III and Anna Shationskaya are also buried here.
From the history of the temple
St. Matthias Church is located on a mountain in the Buda Castle at Szentharomsag ter 2. In 2015, the cathedral turned one thousand years old. According to historical information, the founder of the cathedral was Istvan I - the first Hungarian king. Around 1015, he ordered the construction of a religious building to glorify the name of the Virgin Mary at the peak of Castle Hill. It is believed that it was here that the confessor Gellert was buried, who in 1046 died a traumatic death.
Due to the invasion of Hungary (1241–1242), the Mongol-Tatar horde has not survived to this day, a single image or any other material evidence of this building. During the years 1250-1270, the church of St. Matthias was again erected on a castle hill, and in the XIV century it was rebuilt again.
During the reign of King Matthias Corwin (1458-1490), the church was again significantly reconstructed. Prior to this, the church was called the Virgin Mary, and after this restoration, it acquired its modern name - St. Matthias Church. After this, the cathedral was again devastated by the Turks in 1526. They arranged a mosque in the cathedral, which existed there for almost 150 years.
After several centuries, they tried to reconstruct the building, but the attempt was unsuccessful. During the last perestroika, under the leadership of Fridies Schulek in 1874–1896, the church acquired a modern appearance.
Elements of the interior of the temple
St. Matthias Church (address above) contains many interesting interior details. The oldest part of the temple is the gates of Mary. They are in the atrium at the foot of the bell tower. The gates are considered the only real Gothic part of the structure dating from the XIV century.
An interesting detail of the church is the Matthias shield of 1470 with a portrait of the king. From the very beginning, the shield was on the outside of the tower, but during one of the reconstructions it was moved inside the building. The shield is bordered with frescoes depicting the faces of two black knights.
Near the main entrance to the cathedral is the Loreta chapel. During the reign of the Anjou dynasty in Hungary, they worshiped Our Lady of Loreta.
Organ tunes
Budapest (St. Matthias Church - one of its most significant sights) is a city where interesting objects are located at every step. And the temple that we are talking about contains, among other things, an amazing, ancient object. After all, describing the cathedral, one cannot but mention the organ established in it. A musical instrument is called the largest in the Hungarian capital. Money at the beginning of the last century was allocated by Franz Joseph I himself - the emperor of Austria-Hungary. Thus, the monarch decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his reign.
The total mass of the body is more than 60 tons, and the largest pipe reaches a height of 10 meters and weighs 176 kilograms. The smallest pipe is eight millimeters long and weighs 60 grams.
How does the temple work?
St. Matthias Church (working hours - from 9.00 to 17.00) for visitors is open from Monday to Friday. Saturday’s opening hours are always changing, and it directly depends on what kind of church events are planned in the cathedral. And on Sunday, the temple is open from 13 hours to 16.30-17.00. On Saturday before Easter (Holy Saturday), only Catholic Catholics are allowed to attend the institution. To get to the church you should purchase tickets. Children under the age of six are entitled to attend the religious building free of charge.