St. Stephen Basilica Budapest

The Basilica in Budapest, originally called St. István-Bazilika (St. Stephen Basilica), is for sure one of the most stunning buildings you will see in Budapest with its amazing architecture and interior. The building is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the city. Located in the city center it is situated on St. István Tér which is a great place to experience nightlife or to have a coffee or dinner during daytime.

The Basilica is named after the first King of Hungary, Saint Istvan (c. 975–1038) whose right hand is in the reliquary according to sayings. The building is 96m high which is exactly the size of the Budapest Parliament and the maximum size a building in Hungary is allowed to be. This equal height also symbolizes the balance of democracy and the church in Hungary.

The construction of the St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest took over 50 years which is an interesting fact. After the planning by architect Jozsef Hild in 1845 the constructions had to be postponed for 6 years due to the civil war. In 1968 the dome collapsed which forced the builders to start over again.

Nowadays the Basilica in Budapest is open to the public, mainly for tourists but it still holds the largest mass in Hungary on Christmas eve. If you happen to be around on a Monday in the month March to December I recommend you to take the chance and visit one of the organ concerts which are held at 5pm for an entrance fee of around 3.000HUF per person. The general entry is free of charge, however if you want to go up on the dome by elevator you have to pay a small amount of around 500 HUF.

As mentioned above the St. Stephen Basilica in Budapest is located in the city center and can be reach with all 3 Metro lines, the stop is Deák Ferenc Tér, as well as many trams and buses and of course by taxi and by foot.