This post is the continuation of a series documenting our travels to Hungary in the autumn of 2022. We were in Budapest after a lengthy delay and had seen the Hungarian Parliament on our first morning there ( A morning in & around the Hungarian Parliament – Budapest & Eger, Part 1 ). Next on our agenda was the St Istavan’s Basilica which is Budapest’s largest church.
After walking from the Parliament through the Liberty Square we reached the St Istavan Ter/ Square. A decade or so ago this was a dreary parking lot which was converted into this beautiful public square with the beautiful church at one end and restaurants all around. The Church too is not very old, having being built like most things in Budapest around the millennium celebrations of 1896 at a spot where people had been saved by the high ground here from devastating floods in 1838.
The construction over 50 years was no less dramatic with the dome collapsing once needing complete demolition and reconstruction. Eventually completed in 1905 the church suffered damage in WW II, it was restored and today is a treat to the eyes.
At St Istavan Ter with the Basilica in the Background
The church also has a panoramic tower climb that offers views over downtown Budapest. Climbing a tower in Old town in any European City or town is a must do activity for us. Budapest was no different and we jumped at the opportunity to get a Birds Eye view over the city. We bought the tickets for the Church and the Tower and proceeded to climb the 302 steps to the viewing gallery at the top of the outside of the central dome. Interestingly the Height of the Basilica is same as that of the Parliament building making them the joint tallest buildings in Budapest.
Once on top we realised how big a city Budapest actually was. Even though most of the sites that are of interest to tourists are clustered in a small area on either side of the Danube, the city itself sprawled as far as the eye could see from our perch atop the basilica. We moved around taking photos and enjoying the views for some time enjoying this viewing gallery which wasn’t covered by a protective grill ( Not a big fan of those excessive caged galleries).
We also saw the two bell towers that line the facade from close quarters. Apparently the South tower holds the largest bell in Hungary but we couldn’t see the big bell directly. The cloudy dramatic skies above made for some beautiful moody photos and I clicked away to glory.
The South bell tower of St Istvan’s Basilica with the largest bell in Hungary
View from the Dome of the Basilica with the Istvan Ter below and the Zrinyi Utica/ street leading to the Danube
The better half poses on the Viewing gallery of St Istvan’s Basilica
The view down to the back side of the basilica away from the square
The open nature of the viewing gallery gives great views and photos
The undersurface of the dome of the St Istvan’s basilica
Happy us after finishing our mandatory tower climb in Budapest
Once we had our fill of views we went down to the Basilica itself to feast our eyes on the beautifully restored interiors. The church is cross shaped with equal limbs unlike the long naves of other churches. The Neo renaissance architecture of the church is meant to inspire awe and it achieves that quite easily. The church is literally decorated from ceiling to floor – you will struggle to find a plain boring square foot in this church.
The beautifully bedecked interiors of the St Istvan’s Basilica
The painted gilded ceilings, tall granite pillars with ornate decorations at the top, stained glass lining the tall windows, the painted tall dome & the beautifully decorated altar dedicated not to Christ but to St Istvan / Stephen, Hungary’s first Christian King. The arches were semi circular in the Neo renaissance style but they were all decorated to the last inch.
The most important religious relic in this Basilica is the mummified right hand of St Stephen himself. It is kept in a lit golden box which itself is inside a protective glass box considering the importance of the relic kept here. Even the side altars were all beautifully carved marble edifices with religious paintings and sculptures galore.
It was a place just tailor-made for ultra wide lens photography. I always enjoy using my 11-20mm lens in these church interiors to capture the beautiful symmetric architecture all around. Hope the photos do justice to the beauty of the interiors of the Basilica.
The beautifully decorated dome and roof of the central part of St Istvan’s Basilica
The side altars are also decorated with beautifully painted ceilings
The main altar of the St Istvan’s Basilica dedicated to the first Christian king of Hungary
The beautiful pipe organ at the entrance of the Basilica
The mummified right hand of St Istvan / Stephen in the Basilica
The altar where this important religious relic is placed
The St Istvan’s Basilica interiors – decorated from floor to ceiling
The Dome and the side altar shows the grandiose interiors of the Basilica
Dimly lit side altars of the Basilica make for moody photos
Stained glass is always a pleasure to photograph
Enjoying the symmetric architecture of the St Istvan’s Basilica, Budapest
After enjoying taking photos and walking around the church and gaping at the beauty on display we did our usual church routine of sitting in the pews for a few minutes before walking back out to the square.
The Beautiful facade of the St Istvan’s Basilica in Budapest
After lingering in the square for a few minutes and using one of the convenient money exchange places to get some Hungarian Forints, we started walking towards the Danube using the pedestrian only street called Zrinyi Utca.
We stopped at the bronze statue of a policeman from the Austro – Hungarian empire placed here. This statue has a shiny tummy due to people passing by rubbing his rotund tummy for no good reason! We too joined in the needless belly rubbing and took our photos with the rotund cop statue.
Bronze statue of a cop from the days of the Austro – Hungarian empire
Taking a selfie with the policeman statue after rubbing his belly
We then walked down the pedestrian street looking back every few metres for a view of the dome of the Basilica. This street with its view down to the Basilica is perfect for photography and we took some photos before reaching the river. Ideally this would have been the perfect point to walk across the iconic Chain Bridge of Budapest to the Buda side where our hotel was. Sadly the chain bridge was completely boarded up and closed for restoration when we visited. So we had no choice but to take where a tram back to the metro station close to the parliament and take the metro across the river.
The photogenic Zrinyi Utca / Street with the St Istvan’s Basilica in the background
Since we had public transport tickets for a week we didn’t have to think before using any mode of transport and it saved us a lot of time and energy. We reached the Batthyany ter station on the Buda side and realised that it was past lunch time. The heavy breakfast at the Park Plaza and the excitement of exploring a new city had made us forget all about lunch.
We stopped at the popular Nagyi’s Palacsintázója (translates to Granny’s Pancakes) and ordered a range of crepes topped with sour cream & cheese, the local curdled sheep cheese and a sweet Nutella one for dessert. We took the crepes to the tables on the mezzanine floor and enjoyed our lunch. The crepes were freshly made, delicious, filling and cheap. It had been the perfect lunch after a morning full of sightseeing
Enjoying our lunch at the Nagyi Palacsintázója
With our tummies full we walked back to our Hotel Park Plaza to rest our legs for some time before heading out again in the evening.
At our comfortable room at the Park Plaza Budapest
We would continue our exploration of Budapest & visit the iconic Heroes square and the adjoining Vajdahunyad Castle in the evening, but that is story for another post. Some other time, some other day.
Till then,
Bye.
yogictravel 
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