St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent István-bazilika) is the largest church in Budapest, with the capacity for 8,500 people. It was completed in 1906, after a 50+ years construction period.
The Basilica is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038) and Hungary's patron saint. No expenses was spared: 41kg of 24-carat gold were used for the gilding. The right hand of the mummified hand is housed in the reliquary. It is the Hungarian Roman Catholic Church's most revered relic, carried in procession every St Stephen's Day (20 August).
It was a Saturday on our visit and there was a series of weddings during our visit. It was like a production line with one wedding after another!The view from the top of the dome is supposed to be great. It can be reached by lift so SP and I went ahead. We probably wouldn't have climbed the 364 steps if the lift option didn't exist :-P
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