St Stephen's Basilica
Szent István-bazilika47°30′ N 19°03′ E
St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest is a parish church and co-cathedral that also serves as the backdrop to Advent Bazilika, the city's best-known Christmas market, which projects a light show on its façade every evening from 17:30. Come for a Mass or a visit inside, and expect the official website to open straight onto a ticket shop with little visitor information.
Photo Alex Barrow from Richmond, Virginia · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Three architects worked on the neo-Renaissance basilica in turn before it was completed in 1905, and Pope Pius XI gave it the title of minor basilica in 1931. It turned 120 in 2025, and the market outside marked the date with a new projection film about the building. The dome holds a panorama lookout, and the church keeps a treasury that visitors can see.
Worth knowing
- People who need gluten-reduced communion can ask in the sacristy before Mass, the Mass-times directory notes.
Quick answers about St Stephen's Basilica
Is St Stephen's Basilica wheelchair accessible?
Yes. St Stephen's Basilica has step-free access through a lift outside the building, and there are no steps inside the church.
Can you attend Mass at St Stephen's Basilica?
Yes. St Stephen's Basilica is a parish church, and the Mass-times directory lists weekday Masses at 07:00 and 18:00 and five on Sundays. Mass is worship first, so join it as a member of the congregation and save the sightseeing for afterwards.