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The history of the Matthias church
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According to the writer of the article on szepmagyarorszag.hu, the old name of the church which is The Church of Old Lady was more appealing to him. To the questions of what does he mean by old, he responses with this picture which was taken before the reconstruction of the building, in the beginning of 1870s.
To the writer the old, mediaeval form of the building was more close to him than today’s building which is attractive but the former was better as it was reflecting the area’s style. However, it has to be mentioned that today’s building is very beautiful, good to look at, and it has an important value in regards in tourism. It is an important and beautiful element of the Buda Castle and the writer only wants to point out the fact that this magnificent building had a former state which is not well known today.
The folklore states that the building of the church was in connection with Saint Stephen in 1015, although, there is no evidence for this. In the 13th century, at the invasion of the Mongols, Bela IV has erected a towered basilica on the castle hill. This building was built in the gothic style. The constructions were made in two large parts. The king’s patron rights were given to the monastery of the Dominican sisters at Margaret Island.
From the beginning of the 1300s, after the Árpád dynasty has died out, the kings were announced at the Church Of Old Lady. Their coronation still happened at Széksefehérvár, however, the king has introduced himself to the crowd at the Church of Old Lady.