St. Stephen's Basilica (Budapest)
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The St. Stephen's Basilica ( Hungarian : Szent István-bazilika ) is located on Szent István tér (St. Stephen's Square) in the district of Pest , and since its inauguration in 1905, the largest church in the Hungarian capital Budapest and Co-Cathedral of the Roman -Catholic Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest .
overview
Inside there is space for up to 8,500 people. The church near the Chain Bridge is dedicated to the first Christian Hungarian King Stephen . Originally it was built by Pest Germans as the parish church of St. Leopold, under the patronage of St. Leopold of Austria , the subdistrict is still called Leopoldstadt today. In the entrance area there is a sculpture of St. Gellért with his student St. Emerich, son of King Stephen the Holy. The basilica is also home to many stained glass, paintings and sculptures. As the first Hungarian church building it was given by Pope Pius XI. 1931 the title of a minor basilica . In 1987 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Danube Panorama .
The impressive dimensions of the basilica become particularly clear when you enter the interior of the church and look up to the mighty 96 meter high dome, where you will find an imposing mosaic with a representation of God, Jesus and various angels. As soon as you enter the basilica through the main portal, you will notice the tympanum , in which the Virgin Mary is depicted as Patrona Hungariae in the company of various Hungarian saints.
The dome balustrade is open to visitors. The way up can be taken either via 297 steps or with a modern elevator.
construction
The construction of the St. Stephen's Basilica had to be interrupted during the earthworks, as this fell during the years of the freedom struggle in 1848/1849 . What made the construction more difficult was the fact that the foundations had to be dimensioned much larger than expected due to the proximity to the Danube. This created a three-storey deep basement, which is almost the size of the church above it.
In 1851 the construction of the basilica could begin according to the plans of József Hild in the classical style . He died a few years later. In 1868 the dome collapsed because the foundations were faulty. The construction management was handed over to Miklós Ybl , who continued to build the church in the neo-Renaissance style. When Miklós Ybl died a few years later, the construction was completed by József Kauser . The church building is approx. 92 m long and approx. 62 m wide.
Relics
One of the many relics that are kept in the church is the embalmed right hand of King Stephen . The “Holy Right” can be found in the chapel of St. Leopold in the church. Every year on August 20th, the feast of St. Stephen, thousands of believers come together to take part in the procession accompanying the relic .
Graves
On December 9, 2006, the football player Ferenc Puskás was buried in the St. Stephen's Basilica as part of a state funeral , an honor that until then had only been reserved for kings and saints.
Bells
The cathedral houses the largest and heaviest bells in the entire city of Budapest , distributed over the 2 main towers , the largest of the 6 bells hangs alone in the south tower, while the remaining 5 bells are distributed on the north tower. With a weight of over 9 tons, it is the largest and heaviest church bell in Hungary
• 1st St. Stephen's Bell: 9250 kg, diameter: 240 cm, casting year 1990 , Rudolf Perner , Passau , south tower
• 2nd Marienglocke: 3173 kg, diameter: 178.4 cm, casting year 1863 , Walser Franciscus , Pest, north tower
• 3rd Heinrich Bell: 2150 kg, diameter: 151.3 cm, casting year 1994 , Rudolf Perner , Passau , north tower
• 4th Gisella bell: 1200 kg, diameter: 117 cm, casting year 1994 , Rudolf Perner , Passau , north tower
• 5th Imre bell: 750 kg, diameter: 97 cm, casting year 1993 , Rudolf Perner , Passau , north tower
• 6th Elizabeth Bell: 500 kg, diameter: 86 cm, cast in 1994 , Rudolf Perner , Passau , north tower
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ List of cathedrals and basilicas
- ^ Sebastian Garthoff: Scenes from Budapest - essay. From politics and contemporary history (APuZ 29-30 / 2009) Federal Agency for Civic Education [1]
Coordinates: 47 ° 30 ′ 3 ″ N , 19 ° 3 ′ 14 ″ E