Székesfehérvár Basilica

St. Stephen's Cathedral Basilica

Aerial view of the ruins of the basilica
Basic information
Location Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Geographic coordinates 47°11′30″N 18°24′39″E / 47.1917°N 18.4107°ECoordinates: 47°11′30″N 18°24′39″E / 47.1917°N 18.4107°E
Affiliation Roman Catholicism
Status ruined

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Stephen is a basilica in Székesfehérvár, Hungary.

It was built in the late 1010s by Saint Stephen I, the first King of Hungary. The basilica, one of the most impressive buildings in Europe at the time of its construction, was a technical miracle. It was the most significant place of the Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages, as it contained the crown jewels, including the throne, the Holy Crown of Hungary, the treasury and the archives. 37 kings and 39 queens consort were crowned in this basilica and 15 were buried in it. In 1543, the Turks occupied Székesfehérvár. The royal graves were ransacked and the basilica was used to store gunpowder while St. Martin's Cathedral in Pozsony became the new coronation site. In 1601, during the period of Ottoman rule, the basilica, filled with gunpowder, was destroyed by fire.[1][2][3]

Burials

Thirteen kings and two queens consort were buried in Székesfehérvár Basilica.

  1. Stephen I
  2. Coloman
  3. Béla II
  4. Géza II
  5. Bela III, whose remains were later moved to Matthias Church, Budapest
  6. Agnes of Antioch, whose remains were later moved to Matthias Church, Budapest
  7. Ladislaus III
  8. Béla IV
  9. Charles I Robert
  10. Maria of Bytom
  11. Louis I
  12. Elizabeth of Bosnia, whose remains were moved to Székesfehérvár Basilica from the Church of St Chrysogonus in Zadar
  13. Albert
  14. Matthias I
  15. Vladislaus II
  16. Louis II

Family members of the kings of Hungary have also been buried in the basilica, such as Catherine, the eldest daughter and heiress presumptive of King Louis I by Elizabeth of Bosnia.

References

  1. ↑ Historical past
  2. ↑ Phillips, Adrian; Scotchmer, Jo: Hungary, Bradt Travel Guides, 2010.
  3. ↑ Bedford, Neal; Dunford, Lisa; Fallon, Steve: Hungary, Lonely Planet, 2009.