Gate Keeper Angels - St Matthias, Budapest, Hungary

The two frescoes of angels by Bertalan Szekely next to the main gate can be observed by looking back at the gate. They mark the asymmetry of the gate and the arch above, which results from the two almost imperceptible axis of the medieval church.

St Matthias Church Budapest Stained Glass Windows

St Mattias Church in Budapest has amazing stained glass windows that light the exotic eastern interior of the church with a mystic glow.

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.

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

...You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose...

And that's always the trouble, isn't it? Choosing the direction. So many adventures, so many destinations whirling 'round my mind. On the top of the list is castle-hunting in Bavaria, closely followed by another round of Grecian ruins exploration. But then there's the Australian outback safari I've been meaning to go on and the cool, quiet allure of Russian churches and palaces.

The world beckons, and lucky me: I've got brains in my head, feet in my shoes, and money in my pocket. 

...wandering, wandering, always wandering.