Pilgrimige Sites
Mariapocs: The Mariapocs Monastery is the magnet that draws Christian Orthodox pilgrims in northeastern Hungary. Built in the 18th century, the Basilian monastery beckons those who come to kneel before the wonder-working weeping icon of the Virgin Mary; the pilgrimage is held annually on the Fest of the Dormition. In 1991, Pope John Paul II addressed the faithful during one of the largest annual pilgrimages ever. Locator: 200 mi. from Budapest in northeast Hungary, near Nyiregyhaza
Famous Cathedrals
Budapest: It took 60 years and two architectural époques - Classicism and Eclecticism - to build St. Stephen Basilica. This largest church in the capital is decorated with paintings that take viewers through the life of King St. Stephen, who founded the Hungarian state and the Christian church in Hungary. Of central interest to Cathedral goers is the Holy Right, the mummified right hand of St. Stephen.
Esztergom: Once called the “Hungarian Rome,” the Basilica of Esztergom is the largest cathedral in the country; it crowns the hills the Danube Bend. Neoclassicist in style, its most famous elements are the Bakocz chapel and the Cathedral’s ecclesiastical treasury of vestments and religious jewel-studded objects in gold and silver. Hungarian archbishops, among them the martyr pontiff Cardinal Mindszenty, are buried in the candlelit crypt.
Locator: 40 miles from Budapest.
Budapest: A colorful glazed-tile roof and beautiful tower mark the exterior of the 15th century Matthias Church; its interiors offer a fascinating decorative mix of stained-glass windows and frescoes by the country’s most admired painters. The church is now a favorite place for wedding ceremonies and organ concerts.
Tihany: Sitting on the peak of the Tihany Peninsula jutting into Lake Balaton, the ochre-colored Benedictine Abbey of Tihany contains fantastic altars, pulpits and screens - Baroque-Rococo masterpieces. Built in 1745 into the ruins of an 11th century church, ceiling frescoes were added during a 19th century restoration. The Abbey Museum is next door, housed in the former Benedictine monastery. Locator: 90 mi. from Budapest.
Jewish Heritage Sites
Budapest: Among some of the city’s half dozen synagogues, nothing compares with the Dohany Street Great Synagogue, said to be the largest in the world outside New York. Built in 1859 and blending Romantic and Moorish design elements, composer Liszt once played on the Synagogue’s enormous organ. Next-door, Theodore Herzl was born on the site that is now the Jewish Museum, whose collection of artifacts dates to the 3rd century. The Synagogue quarter is still vibrant, alive with old houses, hotels, kosher restaurants, shops and a cultural center.
Elsewhere in Hungary: Synagogues as architectural treasures are found in large towns such as Sopron, Apostag, Miskolc, Debrecen and Szeged, and many religious buildings now serve as science and cultural centers.
More information
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