Szablyár Péter: Sky-high - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2007)

Churches; Towers; Domes

Buda's former garrison church — the Magdalene Tower

No. 55 Úri utca, District I

Built in the 13th century, the former Church of St. Mary Magdalene was enlarged into a three-aisled church in the 16th—17th centuries. During the Turkish occupation it was converted into a djami. Its tower then served as a minaret, and accordingly it was called the Clock Djami on account of its clock. With the demise of the Ottoman rule, it was rebuilt by the Franciscan order. Frances 1 was crowned .king of Hungary here in 1792, and it was also here that three years later Ignác Martinovics was divested of his priestly office before his execution. From the early 19th century on, it functioned as the church of the Buda garrison. During the 1944-45

■ The garrióon church from the Bdótya (Bastion) esplanade (photo by Béla Somló, 1937)

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