O fficially this is called The Church of Our Lady. More colloquially, it is called the Matthias Church because its southern tower bears the coat of arms of Matthias Corvinus. This church was built for Budapest's German residents and was later taken over during the many Turkish invasions of the area. The decorations inside are clearly Byzantine, but maintain their local signatures even though this was the main mosque for the Turkish invaders. This is the church where Franz Joseph was crowned Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1867. Karl IV also received his coronation here in 1916, which is why this is sometimes called the Coronation Church. It is also the location where Sigmund of Luxembourg and Charles Robert were also crowned in the 1300s. Toward the front, you can look way up and to the left to see the private box from where royalty viewed the masses. They could enter and leave in peace through a special portal and enjoy the sermon without being bothered throngs of their subjects. In theory this anonymity could also allow them to snooze through mass, though this has never been documented. However, it has been documented that the royalty would occasionally slip out a little early. Unfortunately, the side chapels and naves have been closed off by iron gates, but you can still peek through to see the tomb of King Béla III, who died in 1196. The sarcophagus of his wife, Anne of Châtillon, is by his side. If you're lucky you might catch an impromptu concert by the men's choir. Be careful when visiting. Even the locals guard their possessions in this dimly-lit church ideal for pickpockets.
Buck Perez
Tuesday, June 8th, 2004 @ 1:13pm
Rating: Three stars. Great building, but be careful inside. Even our tour guide warned us that pickpockets lurk in the dark corners and drift through crowds of tourists. When the tour guide warns you, then you know it's a problem.
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Buck Perez
Three stars.