St Stephen's Basilica

Before you rises Budapest's largest church, dedicated to St Stephen, Hungary's first king. Its story is one of a building project that fought back for more than half a century.

1The night the dome fell

Work began in 1851 to a neoclassical design by József Hild. Hild died in 1867, and only months later, on 22 January 1868, the dome and its drum collapsed. The piers had been built from donated stone of very uneven quality, and the load was badly distributed. Much of what had been built had to be pulled down and started again.

Miklós Ybl, architect of the Opera House, took over, corrected the calculations and gave the church its Renaissance character. Ybl died in 1891, and József Kauser completed the work. The basilica was consecrated in 1905.

2Ninety-six metres

The dome reaches 96 metres, the same height as Parliament's. It's often said that the figure refers to 896, the traditional date of the Magyar arrival, and that no building in the city was to rise higher than these two: Church and nation at the same height.

Inside is the Holy Right, the mummified hand that tradition attributes to St Stephen.

3What to look for

• The Latin inscription above the entrance: "EGO SUM VIA VERITAS ET VITA", "I am the way, the truth and the life".
• The mosaic over the doorway, designed by Mór Than and made in Venice in 1893.
• The dome and its viewing gallery: from up there you can see the whole route you've just walked.