Скачать или смотреть St Stephen's Basilica - Budapest, Hungary

On August 14, 1851, construction of the Basilica of St. Stephen began, based on the drawings of József Hild, a leading citizen and architect of Pest, who also designed the cathedrals in Esztergom and Eger. József Hild supervised the works until his death as of March 6, 1867.

The Council of the City of Pest appointed Miklós Ybl - an acknowledged master at the time and designer of numerous public buildings in the capital city, including the Opera House, to continue to supervise the design and construction of this prominent building. After his death, the interior of the building and the fine artistic and decorative works were completed by 1905 under the supervision of József Kauser.

On January 22, 1868, the cupola and the cupola drum collapsed due to defects in materials and craftsmanship. The pillars holding the arches of the cupola were constructed with donated stones of assorted quality and solidity. The cupola drum was built on the inner rim of the arches underpinning it, resulting in a precariously balanced structure which distributed the load unevenly on the pillars. The imbalance of the structure, in turn, gave rise to the collapse, after which works paused for more than a year, when the removal of the debris and the demolition of the poorly constructed parts began and continued until 1871.

From 1875, the Hellenistic forms and Classicist style were replaced by Neo-Renaissance elements applied by Ybl, and works continued, even after his death in 1891, according to his sketches and ideas until the long-last dedication of the church in 1905.

TIP: Get the ticket for the Treasury and the panoramic view. It’s well worth it (as you can see from our video).

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