Matthias Church
Matthias Church is located in the heart of Castle District and is a significant icon of Hungary’s former royal state. Built in the 13th century, it was Budapest’s first Roman Catholic Church and was originally known as The Church of Our Lady. It has hosted many royal weddings and coronations and is now more commonly known as Matthias Church, taken from the reign of King Matthias Corvinus’ from 1458-1490. King Matthias chose to expand and reconstruct the church, introducing the gothic architecture of the impressive building, and donated the Southern Grand Tower.
Over six centuries, Matthias Church hosted all of Hungary’s coronations, with the first king - Charles Robert - crowned in 1308, and the last - Charles IV in 1916. It also home to both of King Matthias’ weddings, to Catherine of Podiebrad and Beatrice of Aragon.
With the Turkish invasion in 1541, Buda was captured and the Matthias Church was transformed into a mosque, with many of its religious treasures shipped to Bratislava, and it suffered external damage to the church walls. After the fall of the Turkish occupation in 1686, an attempted restoration began to return the church to its Baroque style. It is said that this restoration did not do justice to the 13th century architecture, and it wasn’t until the 19th century, that Matthias Church was restored to its former glory.
Matthias Church is located in the heart of Budapest's most historic area - Castle District. You can find many Budapest apartment rentals located nearby, giving easy access to explore the historic landmarks within Castle District.
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