St. Stephen's Basilica is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest. Equal to the Hungarian Parliament building at 96 meters high, it is one of the tallest buildings in Budapest. It has a width of 55 meters, and a length of 87.4 meters. The building was completed in 1905 after 54 years of construction, according to the plans of Miklós Ybl, and was completed by József Kauser. Much of this delay can be attributed to the collapse of the dome in 1868 which required complete demolition of the completed works and rebuilding from the ground up!!!
It is named in honor of Stephen, the first Christian King of Hungary (975–1038), whose mummified body is buried in the undercroft. The Holy Dexter is kept as a relic in the Basilica's chapel.
The Saint Stephen Basilica has played an active role in the musical community since its consecration in 1905. The head organists of the church have always been very highly regarded musicians. In the past century, the Basilica has been home to choral music, classical music as well as contemporary musical performances (see the program here).
This is definitely one of the must-go-places in Budapest!
