The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle (Hungarian: Nagyboldogasszony-templom), more commonly known as the Matthias Church (Hungarian: Mátyás-templom), more rarely the Coronation Church of Buda, is a Roman Catholic church located in the Holy Trinity Square, Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman's Bastion at the heart of Buda's Castle District. According to church tradition, it was originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, although few references exist.[2] The current building was constructed in the florid late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and was extensively restored in the late 19th century. It was the second largest church of medieval Buda and the seventh largest church of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom.
It is a historic building with an important history. Two ruling parties were crowned within its walls: Franz Joseph I of Hungary and Empress Elisabeth, and Charles IV of Hungary and Zita of Bourbon-Parma.
The church was also the location of the "Mary-wonder." In 1686 during the siege of Buda city by the Holy League a wall of the church collapsed due to cannon fire. It turned out that an old votive Madonna statue was hidden behind the wall. As the sculpture of the Virgin Mary appeared before the praying Muslims, the morale of the moslem garrison collapsed and the city fell on the same day.[5][6]
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History
The Coronation Church of Our Lady and – top left – Square of Holy Trinity (Szentháromság tér) with the Holy Trinity Column built in 1713.
According to the tradition, the first church on the site was founded by Saint Stephen, King of Hungary in 1015, this is based on an inscription erected in 1690 and burned in 1748, inside the church, which some previous references seem to confirm. However, there is no clear evidence of the foundation of St. Stephen.[5] This building was destroyed in 1241 by the Mongols; the current building was constructed in the latter half of the 13th century.[7] Originally named after the Virgin Mary, taking names such as "The Church of Mary" and "The Church of Our Lady," Matthias Church was named after King Matthias in the 19th Century, who ordered the transformation of its original southern tower
