The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary () was a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...

(),

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. From the year 1000 until 1527, it was the site of the

coronation of the Hungarian monarch The coronation of the Hungarian monarch was a ceremony in which the King of Hungary, king or List of Hungarian consorts, queen of the Kingdom of Hungary was formally crowned and invested with regalia. It corresponded to the coronation ceremonies i ...

. After the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

occupied the city in 1543, coronations of the Hungarian monarch moved elsewhere; the building was extensively damaged in a fire in 1601. It was replaced by the

Cathedral Basilica of Székesfehérvár The Cathedral Basilica of St. Stephen the King () also called Székesfehérvár Cathedral is the name given to a religious building of the Catholic Church in Hungary which serves as the cathedral of the city of Székesfehérvár. It is therefore th ...

in 1777.

Background

The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in the late 1010s by Saint Stephen I, the first

King of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

. It was never episcopal, but it was used as the principal church of the rulers of Hungary. The basilica was the most significant place of the

Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coro ...

, as it contained the

crown jewels Crown jewels are the objects of metalwork and jewellery in the regalia of a current or former monarchy. They are often used for the coronation of a monarch and a few other ceremonial occasions. A monarch may often be shown wearing them in portra ...

, including the throne, the

Holy Crown of Hungary The Holy Crown of Hungary ( , ), also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence; kings were crowned with it since the tw ...

, the treasury and the archives. 37

kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Kings: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations. *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'', an 11th-century epic Persia ...

and 39

queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

were crowned in this basilica and 15 were buried in it. In 1543, the Turks occupied Székesfehérvár. The royal graves were ransacked and the basilica was used to store gunpowder, while St. Martin's Cathedral in

Pozsony Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

(today Bratislava, Slovakia) became the new coronation site. In 1601, the building was destroyed by fire.Historical past
Phillips, Adrian; Scotchmer, Jo: ''Hungary'', Bradt Travel Guides, 2010.Bedford, Neal; Dunford, Lisa; Fallon, Steve: ''Hungary'', Lonely Planet, 2009. During this time, the Ottoman rule of the city was interrupted for about one year. Its ruins were demolished and used for the construction of the new episcopal residence and for the reconstruction of another old church which in the 18th century became the cathedral of the Diocese of Szekesfehervar, erected in 1777. In the late 1930s, St. Stephen's Mausoleum was erected behind the Basilica's ruined

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

Coronations

List of Hungarian monarchs who were crowned in Royal Basilica of Székesfehérvár. * Stephen I (1000) *

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

(1038) *

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

(1044) *

Andrew I Andrew I may refer to: * Andrew I of Hungary Andrew I the White or the Catholic ( or ; 1015 – before 6 December 1060) was King of Hungary from 1046 to 1060. He descended from a younger branch of the Árpád dynasty. After he spent fifteen y ...

(1046) * Béla I (1060) *

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

(1063) *

Géza I Géza () is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following: As regnal or forename * Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians * Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza, son of Géza II of Hungar ...

(1075) * Ladislaus I (1081) *

Coloman Coloman, ( (also Slovak, Czech, Croatian), , ; ) The Germanic origin name Coloman used by Germans since the 9th century. * Coloman, King of Hungary * Coloman of Galicia-Lodomeria Coloman of Galicia (; ; 1208 – 1241) was the rulerfrom 1214 pr ...

(1095) * Stephen II (1116) * Béla II (1131) * Stephen III (1162) * Ladislaus II (1162) * Stephen IV (1163) *

Béla III Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...

(1173) * Ladislaus III (1204) * Andrew II (1205) *

Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...

(1235) *

Stephen V Stephen V may refer to: *Pope Stephen IV, aka Stephen V, Pope from 816 to 817 *Pope Stephen V (885–891) *Stephen V of Hungary (born before 1239 – 1272), King of Hungary and Croatia, Duke of Styria *Stephen V Báthory (1430–1493), Hungarian co ...

(1246, 1270) * Ladislaus IV (1272) * Andrew III (1290) *

Wenceslaus Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Slavic names#In Slovakia and Czech_Republic, Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are , , , , , , among others. It origina ...

(1301) *

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fr ...

(1305) *

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

(1310) *

Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...

(1342) *

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

(1382) *

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

(1387) *

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

(1437) * Ladislaus V (1440) * Vladislaus I (1440) * Matthias I (1464) * Vladislaus II (1490) * Louis II (1508) *

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

(1526) * Ferdinand I (1527)

Burials

Hungarian monarchs and royal family members were buried in Royal Basilica of Székesfehérvár. (Only the list of buried monarchs is complete but the list of buried royal family members is not complete) *Prince Saint Emeric (1031) *King Saint Stephen I (1038) *Queen consort

Felicia of Sicily Felicia of Sicily (also Elateria) (c. 1078 – c. 1102) is the presumed name of a Queen consort of Hungary and Croatia. She was daughter of Count Roger I of Sicily and his second wife, Eremburga of Mortain. She is also called Busilla, but this na ...

(c. 1102) *King

(1116) *Prince

Álmos Álmos (), also Almos or Almus ( 820 – 895), was—according to the uniform account of Hungarian chronicles—the first head of the "loose federation" of the Hungarian tribes from around 850. Whether he was the Sacred king, sacred ruler (''k ...

(1137), he died in 1127 in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, his son King Béla II moved back and reburied his remains in 1137 *King Béla II (1141) *King

Géza II Géza () is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following: As regnal or forename * Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians * Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza, son of Géza II of Hungar ...

(1162) *King Ladislaus II (1162) *King Stephen IV (1165) *Queen consort

Agnes of Antioch Agnes of Antioch ( 1154 – c. 1184), also known as Anna of Antioch and Anne de Châtillon, was Queen of Hungary from 1172 until 1184 as the first wife of Béla III. The accidental discovery of her intact tomb during the Hungarian Revolution o ...

(1184), her remains were later moved with her husband King Béla III *King

(1196), his remains were moved in 1848 and reburied with his wife Agnes of Antioch in the

Matthias Church The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle (), more commonly known as the Matthias Church () and more rarely as the Coronation Church of Buda, is a Catholic church in Holy Trinity Square, Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman's Bastion ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

in 1898 *King Ladislaus III (1205) *Queen consort Maria of Bytom (1317) *King

(1342) *King

(1342) *Princess

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

(1378) *Queen consort

Elizabeth of Bosnia Elizabeth of Bosnia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Elizabeta Kotromanić, Јелисавета Котроманић ; ; ; – January 1387) was queen consort of Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary and Croatia in personal union with Hungary, Croat ...

(1390), wife of King Louis I, she was secretly buried in St Chrysogonus's Church in

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

in 1387, Elizabeth's body was moved and reburied in 1390 in the

Székesfehérvár Basilica The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary () was a basilica in Székesfehérvár (), Hungary. From the year 1000 until 1527, it was the site of the coronation of the Hungarian monarch. After the Ottomans occupied the city in 1543 ...

*King

(1439) *Queen consort

Elizabeth of Luxembourg Elizabeth of Luxembourg (; 7 October 1409 – 19 December 1442) was queen consort of Hungary, queen consort of Germany and Bohemia. The only child of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Elizabeth was expected to asce ...

(1442) *King Matthias I (1490) *King Vladislaus II (1516) *Queen consort

Anne of Foix-Candale Anne of Foix-Candale (1484 – 26 July 1506) was Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the third wife of King Vladislaus II. Biography Anne was the daughter of Gaston of Foix, Count of Candale and Infanta Catherine of Navarre. Her mother was the yo ...

(1516), she died in 1506 and buried in

Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...

, in 1516 she was reburied with his husband King Vladislaus II *King Louis II (1526) *King

(1540) Hungarian nobles were also buried in Royal Basilica of Székesfehérvár. (The list is not complete) *

Philip Drugeth Philip Drugeth (also Druget, , , ; ''c''. 1288 – June or July 1327) was a Kingdom of Naples, Neapolitan knight of Kingdom of France, French origin, who accompanied the twelve-year-old pretender Charles I of Hungary, Charles of Anjou to Kingdom o ...

(1327) * Pipo of Ozora (1426)

Gallery

File:A Romkert légi felvétele, Székesfehérvár.jpg, Aerial view of the ruins File:Alba Regalis1601Theatrum Europaeum1667.jpg , Merian's

Theatrum Europaeum ''Theatrum Europaeum'' was a journal on the history of the German-speaking lands by Matthäus Merian Matthäus is a given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: ;Surname * Lothar Matthäus, (born 1961), German former football play ...

presents an almost peaceful exit (N) of the Turkish garrison out of an undestroyed Székesfehérvár after the Christian interim reconquest in 1601;
G = "main church" – the basílica File:STAT STVLWEISENBVRG WIE DIE VON CHRISTEN EROBERT WORDEN1601.jpg, Johan Sibmacher's ''"True depiction of the royal city of S., as it was reconquered by the Christians"'' shows the basilica destroyed and burning and some more buildings on fire.

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Székesfehérvár Roman Catholic cathedrals in Hungary Basilica churches in Hungary Buildings and structures in Fejér County Szekesfehervar Szekesfehervar Szekesfehervar Burial sites of the Capetian House of Anjou