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

Churches; Towers; Domes

■ Tower on the Basilica

built for the city, as the monumentality of its external appearance was more important than whatever sacral function it had.

The main dome has an interior diameter of 20 metres. The main cornices are 33 metres above ground level. The height of the main dome is 53 on the inside and 96 metres on the outside. The two spires on the western facade rise 80 metres above ground level. There is a basement underneath the entire church body, and the average internal height of the crypt is seven metres.

Aside from a few direct shots hitting the main fagade, it was the brass-plate covering of the dome that sustained the greatest damage during World War 11 in general and the siege of Budapest in particular. Due to the botched reconstruction work the roof leaked and the resulting fungal infestation weakened the towers to an extent that they became a hazard. In 1984, preparations for a major reconstruction job began under the supervision of Ybl-prize laureate Pál Borosnyay, and soon afterwards the painstaking and permanently effective renovation itself was started. As the renewed building was re-consecrated during the St. Stephen Day procession in 2003, the inhabitants

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