Church of St. Matthias: description of the temple, address and time of work

Budapest is a city, which is not enough just to tell - it must be seen. At least once in my life to contemplate it with my own eyes. In the Hungarian capital, there is so much wonder and splendor that it is difficult to decide which of the sights to begin acquaintance with the metropolis. But whatever object you choose, be sure to visit the church of Saint Matthias. The cathedral belongs to the Buda Castle complex and is an incredibly beautiful church. During its existence, it survived many wars and destruction, but stood firm to surprise and fascinate tourists today with its grandeur and indescribable beauty.

Description of the Cathedral

The Church of St. Matthias in Budapest (photo can be seen in the article) is characterized by an incredibly festive appearance. The roof, lined with colored tiles, turrets in the Gothic style, white stone walls, stucco moldings on the window apertures give the cathedral a special elegance and distinguish it against the background of other architectural constructions of the capital of Hungary.

The Church of St. Matthias is also distinguished by its refined interior. Its main adornment was multicolored stained glass, unsurpassed wall painting, made by famous artists Sekei and Lotz, an unusual mosaic and sculpture of the Madonna. Today the Spiritual Art Museum is functioning in the temple. In it you can see sacred relics, various coronation accessories and exact duplicates of the Holy Crown.

In addition, that the cathedral is an architectural heritage, it still plays an important historical role. So, it was here that Franz-Joseph was crowned with his wife. Also here King Bel III and Anna Shatsionskaya are buried.

From the history of the temple

The Church of St. Matthias is on a mountain in the Buda Castle at Szentharomsagter, 2. In 2015, the cathedral celebrated a thousand years. If you believe the historical information, the founder of the cathedral was Istvan I - the first Hungarian king. Around 1015, he ordered at the peak of Castle Hill to erect a cult building for the glorification of the name of the Virgin Mary. There is an opinion that it was here that the priest Gellert, who in 1046 died a martyr's death, was sung.

Due to the invasion of Hungary (1241-1242) of the Mongol-Tatar horde, no image or any other material confirmation of this building has survived to this day. During the years 1250-1270 the church of St. Matthias was once again erected on a castle hill, and in the XIV century it was rebuilt again.

During the reign of King Matthias Corvinus (1458-1490), the church was again significantly reconstructed. Before that, the temple was called the Virgin Mary, and after this restoration, it acquired its modern name - the Church of St. Matthias. After that the cathedral was again ruined by the Turks in 1526. They arranged a mosque in the cathedral, which there lasted almost 150 years.

The building tried to reconstruct after several centuries, but the attempt was unsuccessful. During the last perestroika under the leadership of Friedes Shulek in 1874-1896, the church acquired a modern appearance.

Elements of the interior of the temple

The church of St. Matthias (the address listed above) contains many interesting interior details. The oldest part of the church is the gate of Mary. They are in the atrium at the foot of the bell tower. Gates are considered the only real gothic part of the building, dating from the 14th century.

An interesting detail of the church is 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 fringed with frescoes depicting the faces of two black knights.

Near the main entrance to the cathedral is the chapel of Loreta. During the reign of the Angevian dynasty in Hungary, the Virgin Mary of Loreta was worshiped.

Melodies of organ

Budapest (St. Matthias Church - one of the most significant of its sights) is a city where interesting objects are at every step. And the temple, about which we tell, contains, among other things, an amazing, ancient object. After describing the cathedral, you can not fail to mention the organ installed in it. The musical instrument is called the largest in the Hungarian capital. Money for him at the beginning of the last century was allocated by Franz Joseph I himself - Emperor of Austria-Hungary. Thus, the monarch decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his reign.

The total weight of the body is more than 60 tons, and the largest pipe in height reaches 10 meters and weighs 176 kilograms. The length of the smallest tube is eight millimeters, and the weight is 60 grams.

How does the temple work?

The Church of St. Matthias (working hours - from 9.00 to 17.00) for visitors is open Monday to Friday. The time of work on Saturday is always changing, and it directly depends on what church activities are planned in the cathedral. And on Sunday the temple works from 13 o'clock till 16.30-17.00. On Saturday before Easter (a passionate Saturday), only Catholic believers are permitted to attend an institution. To get to the church you should buy tickets. Children under six years of age have the right to visit the religious building free of charge.