Prohászka László: Polish Monuments - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2001)
The largest church of Budapest, Saint Stephen’s Basilica was built between 1851 and 1906, mainly to the designs of József Hild and Miklós Ybl, who partly continued and partly modified Hild’s work. After Ybl’s death the construction was completed by József Kauser. Eclectic in style, the interior is decorated with the works of the best of contemporary Hungarian artists. Especially noteworthy among the statues is one of the last works of the outstanding Hungarian sculptor János Fadrusz, a sculpture of Saint Ladislas, carved from Carrara marble in 1903. Placed in a crescent-shaped niche in the wall of the bundle of pillars holding the almost 100-metre high dome of the Basilica, the twice life size figure of the knight king, canonised in 1192, holds up a sword the cross-bar of which, forming a cross shape with the blade, is an unambiguous hint at the Christian faith. One of the traces of Polish religious history in Budapest is a plaque in Saint Stephen’s Basilica commemorating the first visit to Budapest of Pope John Paul II (1920-). On his apostolic journey in 1991, the Polish-born Pope greeted Catholics who were sick and ill. An inscription above the left-hand gate of the main entrance reads: Pope John Paul II visited Hungary from 17-20 August, 1991. /In the morning of 20 August in this basilica he met elderly and sick believers. / After that he led the Saint Stephen Day’s mass /and spoke to the nation / in the presence of the glorious Sacred Right Hand of St Stephen / on Heroes’ Square. The Saint Ladislas parish church, an especially fine piece of Hungarian Art Mouveau architecture designed by Ödön Lechner, was consecrated in Kőbánya on 27 June 1900. An unique fact about this church building is that it is ornamented by Zsolnay roof-tiles on the outside and the main altar as well as the pulpit are decorated by Zsolnay ceramics. (The church was severely damaged in World War 11. External renovation was completed in 1994, internal renovation in 1996.) The main altarpiece, by Ignác Ros- kovics, depicts the knight king. Both side-chapels feature a relief of Saint Ladislas. The one on the left 45
