On the castle hill above the city of Esztergom towers the classical cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert, visible from afar. It is the largest church in Hungary and was built between 1838 and 1846 by architect József Hild. The basilica is also called caput, mater et magistra ecclesiarum hungariae (head, mother and teacher of the Hungarian churches).
The neoclassical front with columns reminiscent of a Greek temple is flanked by two annexes with bell towers.
The interior of the basilica covers an area of 5,600 m², it is 118 m long and 49 m wide. Twelve windows flood the church interior with light.
With the dome (diameter 33.5 m), the cathedral has an interior height of 71.5 m and a maximum exterior height of 100 m, measured from the crypt.
The green cloth is not modern art, but protects from falling parts.
The altarpiece with its dimensions of 13.5 × 6.5 m is the depiction of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, created by Michelangelo Grigoletti. It is the largest painting in the world painted on a single piece of canvas.
The Tamás Bakócz Chapel is a work of Italian masters from 1506 to 1507. It was made of red marble by Süttő, and its walls are decorated with Tuscan Renaissance motifs. The chapel is an example of Renaissance art in Hungary.
The original organ - it came from Salzburg - was very badly damaged during the Second World War: it was restored and rebuilt after the war.
Danube cruise
