St. Mary Magdalene's Church Tower, Budapest, Hungary

The St. Mary Magdalene's Church, dating from the middle of the 13th century, originally served as the parish church for the Hungarian citizens of the town (the Mátyás Church was for the use of the town’s German citizens). During the 14th and 15th centuries it was enlarged several times. During the first-half of the Turkish occupation it remained the only Christian church in the Castle; during the second-half it was converted into a mosque. Following the defeat of the Turks in 1686 it was given back to the Franciscan Order, who demolished most of the church except for the tower, and used the stones to build a new single-nave church, in the Baroque style. As a result of the damage sustained by the church during the 2nd World War, the nave was demolished and only the Gothic style tower was restored. The ruins behind the church have been used to form an exhibition of the history of the church. In 1792 Emperor Francis I, King of Hungary, was crowned in the church.

References:

Budapest.com

Miscellaneous historic sites in Hungary

User Reviews

Travelology (3 years ago)
This church is a medieval church, but it was reconstructed in baroque style after the big damage it suffered during the fifth austro hungarian war and the liberation of Hungary from the ottoman invasion. Today remains only the tower and a window in a typical gothic style. It's a beautiful, magnific place, worth the visit. It brings you to another area.

Sam Tambago (4 years ago)
Beautiful church and tower overlooking Budapest!

MS Ahad (4 years ago)
Nice view of the ruins and historical buildings. You have to take the spiral stairs to get to the top of the tower.

janos horvath (4 years ago)
If you are crazy about unique views, this place is a must and worth to climb the 170 steps. Interesting and informative timeline display with history on each level.

annjay Lim (4 years ago)
We were nearby so we dropped here to take a look. It's free w 72hrs Budapest pass anyways but it has nth much, just stairs leading to the top to see the overview of the city but is blocked w pillars and closed windows. You could get the view somewhere else and it would be nicer imho. Personally, I wouldn't think it worth the trip if I've to pay for the ticket.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright CONTROTONO

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

St. Mary Magdalene's Church Tower

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum