Esztergom Basilica
Esztergom Basilica, formally the Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and St Adalbert, is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest and the seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary. Towering on a hill above the Danube in Esztergom, it is the largest church and the tallest building in the country.
Built in the neoclassical style between 1822 and 1869 on the site of earlier medieval cathedrals, the basilica is crowned by a vast dome and fronted by a monumental colonnaded portico. Its interior houses the enormous altarpiece copied from Titian's Assumption, said to be one of the largest paintings on a single canvas in the world, as well as the richly decorated Renaissance Bakócz Chapel preserved from the earlier cathedral.
The basilica's treasury holds one of the most important collections of ecclesiastical art in Hungary, and its crypt contains the tombs of archbishops and primates. As the spiritual centre of Hungarian Catholicism and a commanding riverside landmark, Esztergom Basilica draws both pilgrims and tourists to its grand interior and panoramic terraces.
- Annual visitors
- ≈ 250,000
- Location
- 47.7989, 18.7364
- Local time
- 00:34 (Europe/Budapest)
🕘 Visiting hours
| Mon–Sun | 09:00–17:00 |
Open daily; dome and treasury have shorter hours; verified via official site
✨ Saints & blessed venerated here
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Adalbert of Prague (Adalbert of Esztergom) Saint
Co-patron of the basilica, first dedicatee of the see of Esztergom
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Mary the Virgin (Assumption) Saint
Principal dedicatee; Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Assumed into Heaven
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Stephen I of Hungary Saint
First king, crowned and associated with Esztergom, the primatial see
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Ladislaus I of Hungary Saint
Hungarian royal saint venerated in the primatial church
-
Elizabeth of Hungary Saint
Hungarian saint venerated in the national church tradition
Care & donations
Primatial Basilica of Esztergom (Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest)
Free entry to basilica; tickets for treasury, crypt, dome and panorama
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