St. Stephen's Basilica
Basilica · Belvaros
Budapest, Szent István tér 1, 1051 Hungary
Highlights
Budapest's largest church, saint's mummified hand, great views
Budapest's largest church, saint's mummified hand, great views
"Budapest is one of Europe’s most exciting destinations, attracting remote workers with its low cost of living, historic sites, and Michelin-starred restaurants. It is the capital city of Hungary, known for its rich cultural heritage and vibrant atmosphere." - Dobrina Zhekova Dobrina Zhekova Dobrina Zhekova is a freelance writer with over a decade of editorial experience in Europe and the U.S. She covers luxury travel, art, architecture, and design. Her writing has a
"It is known as “The Holy Right” and every year on August 20th, Hungary takes it out for a walk. The occasion is Saint Stephen’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the founder of the Hungarian nation. Curiously, St. Stephen, or a least a part of him, faithfully attends his celebration every year. The Holy Right is the right fist of St. Stephen himself and his relic leads the parade each year. Saint Stephen was canonized in 1083, and as part of the process of saint-ing, his corpse was exhumed from his crypt. It is said that his right arm (though not the rest of him apparently) was found to be as fresh as the day he was buried. The supple arm was promptly lopped off to be preserved and venerated. The mummified hand went through a number of owners before returning to Hungary. In the 13th century during the Tartar invasion, it was sent to Dubrovnik in Croatia for safekeeping by the Dominican monks. It is believed that around this time the monks cut the hand from the arm and sent the upper arm to Lemburg, and the lower arm to Vienna. A common practice in those days was to keep each branch of the church from getting jealous. In 1771, the Austro-Hungarian empire took the Holy Right and placed it in Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna (the Hapsburg’s summer home) before eventually returning it to Hungary. However as the front of WWll approached Budapest in 1944, the Holy Right was again taken back into Austria and was kept by the archbishop of Salzburg. At long last, on August 20, 1945, the priest of the American army brought the hand from Austria to its rightful Hungarian owners. Today, the mummified “Holy Right” resides in an ornate golden reliquary in the Basilica of St. Stephen. Drawn into a tight fist and clutching precious jewels, the hand—now shrunken and yellowed—still manages an air of righteous defiance." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"St. Stephen’s Basilica If you happen to be meandering through Budapest , and have the urge to do a little sightseeing, St. Stephen's Basilica is definitely a sight to see. The structure is named in honor of Stephen, the first king of Hungary. Apparently, his right hand is also housed here, but fortunately I did not come across it during my explorations. What I did come across, and what will greet you upon entering, is a dazzling array of multicolored marble columns that soar to the heavens. What is not carved in relief on the walls is gilded in gold on the ceilings. The intricacy of the floor and the meticulous attention to detail will almost make you forget to look up. Ah, but when you do, what a sight to behold! The dome of St. Stephen's is probably one of the more awe-inspiring views in Budapest . Natural light spills in from the etched windows to illuminate the works of art that seem to float above you, all while being surrounded by an inordinate amount of gold leaf. The visual masterpiece almost makes you want to clap - it makes you want to give King Stephen a hand."
"▲ Budapest's largest church, with a saint's withered fist and great city views." - Rick Steves' Europe
"I admire St. Stephen’s Basilica for its ornate architecture and massive dome — the largest church in Hungary, completed in 1905 after a 50-year build, it houses chapels and the reliquary that supposedly contains St. Stephen’s mummified right hand, and they hold organ recitals on Mondays." - Matthew Kepnes
