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Saturday, March 14, 2009

St Matthias Church, Budapest, Hungary

According to a legend the first king St. Stephen started to build the church. However, historical proof shows that King Béla IV founded the church in 1255 after he moved his court up to Castle Hill from Óbuda.

However, the name St Matthias Church comes from the fact that the popular King Matthias held his two weddings here. The main eastern gate and the long apse are thirteenth century, the central part was built around 1400. Over the years, every king and era added something to the church. In 1541 the Turks captured Buda and transformed it into a mosque.

After the Habsburgs recaptured Buda in 1686, St Matthias Church came under the Jesuit' s patronage. Frigyes Schulek rebuilt Matthias Church in neo-Gothic style at the turn of the last century. He incorporated the 13th century remains in the new design.

The interior is very striking. Despite the vaulting and the stained glass windows, it's nothing like a Gothic cathedral, it has a sort of mystic, Eastern atmosphere.

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