Fishermans Bastion, Budapest

High up on castle hill on the Buda side of the Danube, is the Fisherman's Bastion. It is very fairytale in appearance, all round towers, arches, and decorative elements.



Each column is decoratively carved:



Each tower is beautifully designed and ornamented:


The views must be stunning on a clear day, we visited on an atmospherically misty day.

St Stephens Basilica, Budapest

Well, this place must be the epitome of baroque style, everything is embellished, and much of it is gilded. It is a very splendid building, with a bit of a history! After decades of talk, and 3 years of a failed Revolution, building began in 1851. The first buildre died in 1868, and when the second builder took over, he found that the building was unsafe and had large cracks in the walls. he fenced it off, and 8 days later, in a big storm, the dome fell in. He began again, with new plans, but he also died before the building was finished. The building was finally finished and consectrated in 1905.

The imposing frontage, you can see just how big the building is by looking at the people walking past:


A closer look at one of the towers:


And the dome:

When you get to the top of the steps, you can see a wrought iron 'screen', with gates, which can be closed to prevent access to the basilica, here is a detail form the left hand gate:


and the right hand gate:



Once through the gates, you find yourself in front of the main doors, which must be 15 feet or more in height, not used on a day to day basis:

Each circular element on the doors is a carving of one of the 12 apostles:


These are the doors you actually use to enter the Basilica - which are pretty splendid, as well:


And then you find yourself inside. And probably speechless, admiring all the decoration on the walls, ceilings and floors....


















The view of the square from the Basilica:


And the lady who begs there each day.

St Stephens Basilica chapel, Budapest

St Stephens Basilica has quite a substantial chapel, less gilded and ornate than the main interior. The chapel is where the mummified Hand of St Stephen is displayed. It lives in a highly ornate golden model of the Matthias Church. This hand has travelled the world before finally coming back to its permanent resting place in Budapest.



This strange object (sorry about the blurry photo) was covered in beautifully tooled leather.
I think it is a font.


The chapel, although not gilded and marbled like the main interior of the basilica, has 6 gorgeous brightly coloured stained glass windows, each illustrating a saint or other important person.

St Stephen, (or Istvan, whose original name was Vajk), was a strong king, who helped organise a feudal state out of the tribal territories which existed in what is now Hungary, died in 1038.

St Stephen's Basilica Treasury, Budapest

St Stephens Basilica has a treasury, where they keep all the precious objects. This is a replica of St Stephens Crown, which has been made in porcelain. The workmanship is fabulous. My photography is less so!





These monstrances, gifts from abroad, are all pretty amazing.