The sun wasn’t yet up when we arrived in Budapest. The captain of our riverboat had urged the evening before that we get up early so we could see the city in the early morning light. It was a good suggestion. There will be several photos in our posts on Budapest that will reflect what we saw. Here, we are looking toward Buda Castle Hill. The twin towers of St. Anne’s Church are on the right. Looking up the hill to the left is the beautiful Matthias Church that we will visit in today’s post.Focusing in on Matthias Church a few minutes later, the sun was lighting the sky quickly. I thought the slightly fuzzy quality our cameras produced in the low light added to the beauty.Then my camera decided to focus on the light behind the church, leaving it with a dark outline. It wasn’t what I was trying to accomplish, but I liked the result. The striking Matthias Bell Tower and a number of other towers stand out.Matthias Church caught under blue skies in bright sunshine. While the style is Gothic, the brightly covered roof speaks to a late 19th Century makeover, as does the inside of the church. The green guy on his green horse is the much revered first king of Hungary, King Stephen. We took the photo from what is known as Fisherman’s Bastion, another prominent landmark of Budapest.The King with his saintly halo and double cross is blessing the church. The towers are part of Fisherman’s Bastion. There are seven in total, representing the the seven chieftains of the Hungarian tribes that crossed the Carpathian Mountains and entered the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE (Common Era).Born a pagan but baptized as a Christian, St. Stephen was coronated on Christmas Day in 1000 CE and immediately set out to Christianize Hungary. Thus, his Sainthood.
A true mark of a Catholic Saint during the Middle Ages, BTW, was that the faithful collected bits and pieces of you as relics to be worshipped. Praying over them could cure you of whatever, they thought. King Stephen donated his “naturally mummified” right hand to the cause when his tomb was opened in 1083 CE. I assume it was chopped off. He didn’t complain. It is one of Hungary’s most cherished relics. When the Ottoman Turks captured and occupied Budapest from 1541 to 1699, the hand was sent to Ragusa (Dubrovnik) for safe keeping where it was guarded by Dominican friars. They were reluctant to return it afterward. Lots of pilgrims generated revenue. They finally relented when Queen Maria Theresa promised to protect the city from a pending Russian invasion.Speaking of the invasion by the Ottomans, they actually took over Matthias Church and turned it into a mosque. I was wondering if the moon and star (upper center left), which are both symbols of Islam and are often found on top of mosques, commemorated their occupation? Also, of interest, is the raven seen in the upper right center…Legend has it that Matthias’ mother sent a raven to Prague with the ring urging her son to return home. King Matthias is another of Hungary’s loved rulers. He was said to travel around in disguise to get a feel for the life of his subjects, “doing justice to the poor, and shaming the powerful and arrogant.” He incorporated the raven into his coat of arms and put one on top of the church with a symbolic ring. He was known as the Raven King.The church really is beautiful…And impressive.A final view before heading inside.The warm brown and gold colors found on the main altar of Matthias Church are found throughout the church.I really liked the way Mary was designed to allow light from the stained glass windows to flow around her. This attention to detail was found throughout the church.Another example. Both unity and depth are achieved here. Also, do you see the lights hanging across the arch?Light was used throughout the church for emphasis.I liked this painting. It showed a stag doing what stags do— eat grass— while the ‘Lamb of God’ looks on.Several large paintings are incorporated into the church. This is Francis of Assisi encouraging the baby Jesus to walk to him.This mural depicting St./King Laszlo was even more richly painted than that of St. Francis. The bird headed people in the left corner seem rather strange.The King/Saint Laszlo with piercing, scary eyes was ensconced in an nook below the mural.My favorite: The pillars of the church!Outside the church we snapped a photo of the the Holy Trinity Statue that was built to protect the people of Buda from the Black Plagues that devastated Europe between 1691 and 1709, causing the death of up to 50% of Europe’s population. The Holy Trinity tops the column. Cherubs and angels are next, and various saints are on the bottom. Remember how we noted in Vienna that St. Sebastian was always depicted with arrows sticking out of him? Look to the left. They even sculpted the tree he was supposedly tied to.Here’s the Holy Trinity. The Holy Ghost hovers above as a dove with light emanating from it, God with his flowing beard is next, and Jesus is carrying his cross. A fat little cherub is on the lower right because fat little cherubs apparently like to hang around the powers that be. After our tour we were given some time to hike the walkway on Fisherman’s Bastion with its great views of Budapest.One of the views was of St. Anne’s Church with its Italian baroque tower that we had first seen from the river in today’s top photo.Another was of Hungary’s Parliament building which will be one of the sights featured in our next post.
That does it for now. We’ll be taking a couple of weeks off for Christmas and New Year’s but I will get a brief post up just before Christmas. Beyond that, see you in 2025. Have a great holiday!
What an awe-inspiring city of magnificent churches, sculpture…it is just heavenly! The statue of St. Stephen is unbelievable how cloth draped over the horse is made to look so life like! My daughter and family are talking about a visit here. And a friend of mine lived overseas and said that she thought that area was the most beautiful.
Merry Christmas you two! Sun and rain here in Olympia but all is well and I have not spotted a drone myself…
Nicely captured. Matias church is impressive, both inside and out. The view from Fisherman’s Bastion is impressive as well. Actually, even the walk up the hill to the church was impressive.
I hope you and Peggy have a lovely holiday season.
Thanks, Dave. One thing when traveling through Europe: You have ample opportunities to check out churches. It’s hard not to. Matias is one of the most impressive we’ve seen.
Curt, I love the photos of the Mathias Church. The blue-sky ones are particularly nice. We haven’t been to Budapest in a while, but I remember this church and the hill well. The view from up there is wonderful.
And BTW, not to name drop, but you’ll perhaps remember this name. Once in Budapest we were sitting at dinner and Michael Dukakis and his security detail walked through. I had no idea why he was there, but it surprised us for sure. Happy Holidays to you and Peggy. ~James
The church is utterly gorgeous. I like that slightly blurred morning photo. It make the building look magical, as if shimmering into view. The artwork in the interior is mesmerizing. I’m so glad it was turned into a mosque, versus destroyed, as seemed to happen now and then. The history and symbolism is really stunning. Thanks for the tour, Curt and Peggy. And enjoy your break too. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and adventurous new year!
A Merry Christmas back to you and your family as well, D. Apparently, the Muslims recognized the beauty of the church as well. And it was a heck of a lot easier than building a new mosque. Grin.
Really enjoyed the Matthias Church, Curt. Your photos and explanations of the outside and inside were a real treat. Also enjoyed the overview of Budapest and the Danube. Incredible craftsmanship.
Wandering through Time and Place 
Budapest is definitely on my bucket list.
As it should be! Good to hear from you, Iowa!
What an awe-inspiring city of magnificent churches, sculpture…it is just heavenly! The statue of St. Stephen is unbelievable how cloth draped over the horse is made to look so life like! My daughter and family are talking about a visit here. And a friend of mine lived overseas and said that she thought that area was the most beautiful.
Merry Christmas you two! Sun and rain here in Olympia but all is well and I have not spotted a drone myself…
Talk about great architecture, Peggy must have been in her glory here!!
As many have taught us, the early and late day light is the best but the changing light during the day always reveals something too. Great photos!
Wow, that parliament building is incredible!
More photos of it coming up, Diana. Happy Hollidays to you and your family!
You got some good photos. That Mattias church roof is gorgeous!
Alison
Thanks, Alison. Happy Holidays to you and Don! –Curt
And to you and Peggy! — A.
😊
Nicely captured. Matias church is impressive, both inside and out. The view from Fisherman’s Bastion is impressive as well. Actually, even the walk up the hill to the church was impressive.
I hope you and Peggy have a lovely holiday season.
Thanks, Dave. One thing when traveling through Europe: You have ample opportunities to check out churches. It’s hard not to. Matias is one of the most impressive we’ve seen.
Happy Holidays to you as well!
Wowser!
Those roof tiles!!!!
Linda xx
Indeed! Fun. Thanks for commenting, Linda.
⭐super welcome!
Curt, I love the photos of the Mathias Church. The blue-sky ones are particularly nice. We haven’t been to Budapest in a while, but I remember this church and the hill well. The view from up there is wonderful.
And BTW, not to name drop, but you’ll perhaps remember this name. Once in Budapest we were sitting at dinner and Michael Dukakis and his security detail walked through. I had no idea why he was there, but it surprised us for sure. Happy Holidays to you and Peggy. ~James
Thanks James. It is a beautiful church.
And yes, I remember Dukakis. A great governor who ran head on into a smear campaigns when he ran for president, a tactic that’s common now. Sigh.
But beyond that, Happy Holidays back! And here’s to another great year of wandering. –Curt
The church is utterly gorgeous. I like that slightly blurred morning photo. It make the building look magical, as if shimmering into view. The artwork in the interior is mesmerizing. I’m so glad it was turned into a mosque, versus destroyed, as seemed to happen now and then. The history and symbolism is really stunning. Thanks for the tour, Curt and Peggy. And enjoy your break too. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and adventurous new year!
A Merry Christmas back to you and your family as well, D. Apparently, the Muslims recognized the beauty of the church as well. And it was a heck of a lot easier than building a new mosque. Grin.
Really enjoyed the Matthias Church, Curt. Your photos and explanations of the outside and inside were a real treat. Also enjoyed the overview of Budapest and the Danube. Incredible craftsmanship.
Thanks, Jet. Appreciated.