Esztergom Basilica

Its dome dominates the Danube bend for miles: Esztergom Basilica, the largest church in Hungary, stands on Castle Hill directly above the river, which here forms the border with Slovakia. The exterior of the dome reaches about 100 metres, and inside the cupola rises to 71.5 metres over a span of 33.5 metres, placing it among the tallest church domes in the world.

The present building is Neoclassical and took almost half a century to complete. The foundation was laid in 1822 to plans by Pál Kühnel; János Packh led the work until his murder in 1839, after which József Hild took over, and József Lippert later contributed. The cross was raised on the dome in 1846, and the church was consecrated on 31 August 1856 in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph, when Franz Liszt conducted the premiere of his Missa solennis. Construction was finally declared complete in 1869. The basilica is about 118 metres long and 49 metres wide, enclosing some 5,600 square metres. Behind the high altar hangs an Assumption by the Italian painter Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti, measuring roughly 13.5 by 6.6 metres. Beneath the church lies a crypt designed in 1831 in an Egyptian-inspired manner, where archbishops including Cardinal József Mindszenty are buried, and the treasury has been open since 1886.

The site has a far older history. Esztergom was the royal seat of Hungary from the 10th to the mid-13th century; Saint Stephen, the first king, was born on Castle Hill and crowned here around the year 1000, and he founded the first cathedral of Saint Adalbert on the hill. That medieval church burned, survived the Mongol invasion and was finally wrecked after the Ottoman capture of 1543. One remarkable fragment was saved: the Bakócz Chapel, built in 1506–1507 by Italian masters in red marble from Süttő, was taken apart into around 1,600 pieces in 1823 and reassembled within the new basilica. It is regarded as the finest surviving work of the Renaissance in Hungary. Esztergom remains the seat of the Primate of Hungary.

Getting there

The basilica stands about 1 km from the centre of Esztergom, a town of some 28,000 people roughly 46 km northwest of Budapest. Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD) is about 57 km away. The Mária Valéria Bridge, just below the hill, links Esztergom with Štúrovo in Slovakia.