Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

04 September, 2026

Earl Of Shrewsbury. Earl Of Waterford. Earl Talbot. (Part One).



Arms of Talbot-Chetwynd.

Quarterly:
1st and 4th: Gules, a Lion Rampant
within a Bordure Engrailed Or (for Talbot).
2nd and 3rd: Azure, a Chevron
between three Mullets Or (for Chetwynd).
Date: 25 June 2017.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the
Author: Wikimandia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Earl of Shrewsbury [2] is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second Earldom dates to 1442.

The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland and Earl Talbot (1784) in the Peerage of Great Britain. 

Shrewsbury and Waterford are the oldest Earldoms in their peerages held by someone with no higher title (the oldest Earldoms in each peerage being held by the Duke of Norfolk and Duke of Leinster), and as such the Earl of Shrewsbury is sometimes described as the premier Earl of England and Ireland.[3][4]



Arms of Talbot.

Gules, a lion rampant within a bordure engrailed or.[7] 
These were the Paternal Arms of Gwenllian, the daughter and heiress of Rhys Mechyll (died 1244), Prince of the Welsh House of Deheubarth, grandson of Rhys ap Gruffydd, and wife of Gilbert Talbot (died 1274), grandfather of Gilbert Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot (died 1345), assumed by Talbot as Arms of Alliance of a great heiress, who superseded his own former Paternal Arms of Barry of six Argent and Gules.[8][9][10][11] 
The assumption about Gwenllian, however, was unfounded 
as Rhys Mechyll also had male heirs[12] who acceded to the Arms of the House of Deheubarth.
Date: 22 September 2017.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Wikimandia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror’s principal Counsellors. 

He was one of the Marcher Lords, with the Earl of Hereford and the Earl of Chester, a bulwark against the Welsh; he was granted great powers, and his territory, which extended from Shropshire (of which Shrewsbury is the County Town) into Mid-Wales (the County of Montgomeryshire being named after him), was outside the ordinary administration; he was also granted lands across England.

Roger was succeeded in 1094 by his younger son Hugh, his elder son Robert of Bellême succeeding to his lands in Normandy. On Hugh’s death in 1098, the Earldom passed to his brother Robert.

The title was forfeit in 1102 after the 3rd Earl, Robert, rebelled against Henry I and joined Robert Curthose’s invasion of England in 1101.



Coronet of a British Earl.

Date: 20 July 2010.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Creative Commons Attribution-
Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 
and 1.0 Generic Licence.
Author: Sodacan
(Wikimedia Commons)

The title was created for a second time in 1442, when John Talbot, 7th Baron Talbot, an English General in the Hundred Years' War, was made Earl of Shrewsbury in the Peerage of England. 

He was also made hereditary Lord High Steward of Ireland and, in 1446, Earl of Waterford in the Peerage of Ireland (thus, the two titles have always descended together).[5]

PART TWO FOLLOWS.
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Lincoln Cathedral. The Cathedral Church Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Of Lincoln. (Part Two).



Lincoln Cathedral.
Photo: 25 December 2009.
Source: w:en:Ukussa
Author: Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Until then, St Mary's Church, in Stow. was considered to be the “Mother Church”[9] of Lincolnshire[10] (although it was not a Cathedral, because the Seat of the Diocese was at Dorchester Abbey, in Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire).

However, Lincoln was more central to a Diocese that stretched from the River Thames to the River Humber.

Remigius built the first Lincoln Cathedral on the present site, finishing it in 1092 and then dying on 7 May of that year,[11] two days before it was Consecrated. 


Lincoln Cathedral’s Triforium.
Photo: 14 June 2014.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In 1124, the timber roofing was destroyed in a fire. Alexander (Bishop, 1123 – 1148) rebuilt and expanded the Cathedral, but it was mostly destroyed by an earthquake about forty years later, in 1185 (dated by the British Geological Survey as occurring 15 April 1185).[7][12] 

The earthquake was one of the largest felt in the United Kingdom. It had an estimated magnitude of over 5. 

The damage to the Cathedral is thought to have been very extensive; the Cathedral is described as having “split from top to bottom”. In the current building, only the lower part of the West End and its two attached Towers remain of the pre-earthquake Cathedral.[12]


Inside Lincoln Cathedral.
Available on YouTube

Some (Kidson, 1986; Woo, 1991) have suggested that the damage to Lincoln Cathedral was probably exacerbated by poor construction or design, with the actual collapse most probably caused by a Vault failure.[12]

After the earthquake, a new Bishop was appointed. He was Hugh de Burgundy of Avalon, France, who became known as Saint Hugh of Lincoln. 

He began a massive rebuilding and expansion programme. With his appointment of William de Montibus as Master of the Cathedral School and Chancellor, Lincoln briefly became one of the leading educational centres in England, producing writers such as Samuel Presbiter and Richard of Wetheringsett, though it declined in importance after William’s death in 1213.[13] 


Lincoln Cathedral’s 13th-Century Angel Choir. On the Left 
is the Six-Bay Easter Sepulchre and Remigius Tomb. 
Katherine Swynford’s Tomb is on the Right.
Photo: 10 January 2017.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Rebuilding began with the Choir (Saint Hugh’s Choir) and the Eastern Transepts between 1192 and 1210.[14]

The Central Nave was then built in the Early-English Gothic Architectural Style. Lincoln Cathedral soon followed other architectural advances of the time – Pointed Arches, Flying Buttresses and Ribbed Vaulting were added to the Cathedral. This allowed support for incorporating larger Windows. 

There are thirteen Bells in the South-West Tower; two Bells in the North-West Tower, and five Bells in the Central Tower (including “Great Tom”).


Lincoln Cathedral’s Great East Stained-Glass Window, 
dated 1256 - 1280. Architect: Simon Thirsk (1256); 
Stained-Glass: Ward and Nixon (1855).
Photo: 6 November 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: TTaylor
(Wikimedia Commons)


Accompanying the Cathedral’s large Bell, “Great Tom of Lincoln”, is a quarter-hour Striking Clock, which was installed in the Early-19th-Century.[15] 

The two large Stained-Glass Rose Windows, the matching “Dean’s Eye” and the “Bishop’s Eye”, were added to the Cathedral during the Late-Middle Ages.

The former, the “Dean’s Eye”, in the North Transept, dates from the 1192 rebuild begun by Saint Hugh, completed in 1235. 


The Presbytery of Lincoln Cathedral.
Photo: 30 July 2014.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: Photo by DAVID ILIFF.
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Author: Diliff
(Wikimedia Commons)


The latter, the “Bishop’s Eye”, in the South Transept, was reconstructed a hundred years later in 1330.[16] 

A contemporary record, “The Metrical Life of Saint Hugh”, refers to the meaning of these two Rose Windows (one on the dark North Side and the other on the light South Side of the building):

“For North represents the devil, and South The Holy Spirit, and it is in these directions that the two eyes look. The “Bishop’s Eye” faces the South, in order to invite in, and the “Dean’s Eye” faces the North, in order to shun; the one takes care to be saved, the other takes care not to perish. With these “Eyes”, the Cathedral’s face is on watch for the candelabra of Heaven and the darkness of Lethe (oblivion)”.


The Angel Choir architecture, Lincoln Cathedral.
Photo: 21 April 2015.
Attribution:
Lincoln Cathedral: The Angel Choir by Michael Garlick.
(Wikimedia Commons)


After the additions of the “Dean’s Eye” and other major Gothic additions, it is believed some mistakes in the support of the Tower occurred, for, in 1237, the main Tower collapsed.

A new Tower was started and in 1255 the Cathedral petitioned King Henry III to allow them to take down part of the Town Wall to enlarge and expand the Cathedral, including the rebuilding of the Central Tower and Spire.

They replaced the small Rounded Chapels (built at the time of Saint Hugh) with a larger East End to the Cathedral. This was to handle the increasing number of Pilgrims to the Cathedral, who came to worship at the Shrine of Saint Hugh of Lincoln.

PART THREE FOLLOWS.
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03 September, 2026

Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau, Bavaria, Germany. King Ludwig II Of Bavaria’s Creation. (Part Twelve).



Photo: 31 July 2013.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the
Attribution:
© Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de
(Wikipedia)



The Throne Hall, Neuschwanstein Castle.
Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886. 
Postcard published 1890 - 1900. 
Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17479.
Date: 1886.
Source:
Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17479); Views of Germany in the Photochrom Print Collection. This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.00180.
Author: Josef Albert (1825–1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Its viewing platform provides a vast view over the Alpine foothills to the North.


Dining Room, Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany. Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886. Postcard published circa 1890 — 1900. Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17483.
Source: Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17483); Views of Germany in the Photochrom print collection. Library of Congres. Reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-00184.
Author: Josef Albert (1825 — 1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)

Neuschwanstein welcomes almost 1.5 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.[3][57] 

For security reasons, the Palace can only be visited via a thirty-five-minute guided tour, and no photography is allowed inside the Castle. 

During the peak season from June to August, Neuschwanstein receives as many as 6,000 visitors per day, and guests without advance reservations may have to wait several hours. 



Pictures of the Tristan saga. Bedroom, Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany. Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886. Postcard published circa 1890 — 1900. Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17482.
Source: Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17482); Views of Germany in the Photochrom print collection. Library of Congres. Reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-00183.
Author: Josef Albert (1825–1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)

Those without tickets may still walk the long driveway from the base to the top of the mountain and visit the grounds and Courtyard without a ticket, but they will not be admitted to the interior of the Castle. 

Ticket sales are processed exclusively via the ticket centre in Hohenschwangau.[58] 

As of 2008, the total number of visitors exceeded sixty million.[2] 

In 2004, the revenues were booked as €6.5 million.[1]

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE.
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Absurd Victorian Occupations.


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Pope Saint Pius X. Feast Day, Today, 3 September. Confessor. White Vestments.



English: Pope Saint Pius X.
Portrait taken after his enthronement, August 1903.
Deutsch: Papst Pius X. Offizielles Porträt,
aufgenommen nach der Inthronisation im August 1903.
Español: El papa Pío X. Retrato oficial, hecho pocos días después de su entronización como papa el 9 de agosto de 1903.
Français: Le pape Pie X. Portrait, 14 août 1903.
Photo: 14 August 1903
Source: Web.
Author: Giuseppe Felici (1839–1923).
(Wikimedia Commons)



Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Pope Saint Pius X (Italian: Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto;[a] 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914.

Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, and for promoting Liturgical reforms and scholastic theology.

He initiated the preparation of the 1917 Code of Canon Law,
the first comprehensive and systemic work of its kind. He is Venerated as a Saint in the Catholic Church. The Society of Saint Pius X, a Traditionalist Catholic fraternity, is named after him.



Pius X was devoted to The Blessed Virgin Mary under
the title of Our Lady of Confidence; while his Papal Encyclical “Ad diem illum” took on a sense of renewal that was reflected in the motto of his Pontificate.[4]

He advanced the Liturgical Movement by formulating the principle of “participatio actuosa” (active participation of the Faithful) in his Motu Proprio “Tra le sollecitudini” (1903).

He encouraged the frequent reception of Holy Communion, and he lowered the age for First Communion, which became a lasting innovation of his Papacy.[5]


Like his predecessors, he promoted Thomism as the principal philosophical method to be taught in Catholic institutions.

He vehemently opposed various 19th-Century philosophies that he viewed as an intrusion of secular errors incompatible with Catholic dogma, especially Modernism, which he critiqued as the synthesis of every heresy.[6]

Pius X was known for his firm demeanour and sense of personal poverty, reflected by his membership of the Third Order of Saint Francis.[7] He regularly gave Sermons from the Pulpit, a rare practice at the time.[b]

After the 1908 Messina earthquake he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees, long before the Italian government acted.[7] He rejected any kind of favours for his family, and his close relatives chose to remain in poverty, living near Rome.[7][8] 

He also undertook a reform of the Roman Curia with the Apostolic Constitution “Sapienti consilio” in 1908.


After his death, a strong cult of devotion followed his reputation for piety and holiness. He was Beatified in 1951 and Canonised in 1954 by Pope Pius XII.[8] 

A statue bearing his name stands within Saint Peter’s Basilica, and his birth town was renamed Riese Pio X after his death.



The greatest Pope since Saint Peter.
Saint Pius X teaches about zeal for Souls.
Available on YouTube


The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Pius X.
   Pope.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 3 September.

Double.

White Vestments.

Joseph Sarto was born at Riese, a small village in Venetia, Italy, on 2 June 1835, in humble circumstances.

He was, successively, Curate, Parish Priest, Bishop of Mantua, Patriarch of Venice — Offices to which his keen intelligence, hard work, and great piety, caused him to be quickly promoted.

He was elected Pope on 4 August 1903, and took the name of Pius X.


As Chief Pastor of The Church, he displayed untiring self-sacrifice, and great energy; he was an intrepid defender of the purity of Christian Doctrine.

He realised to the full the value of the Liturgy as The Prayer of The Church and the solid basis that it furnishes for the devotion of Christian people.

He worked for the restoration of the Worship of The Church, especially Plainchant, so that Christian people, as he put it, might find beauty in their public Prayer.

He spared no effort to propagate the practice, so great an aid to holiness, of early, frequent, and daily, Holy Communion.

He died on 20 August 1914, and was Canonised on 29 May 1954.

Mass: Extuli eléctum.
Preface: Of The Apostles.
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02 September, 2026

Cathedral And Metropolitan Church Of Saint Stephen And All Saints, Vienna, Austria. (Part Nine).



English: 
Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of 
Saint Stephen and All Saints, Vienna, Austria.
Deutsch: 
Dom-und-Metropolitankirche zu 
Sankt Stephan und allen Heiligen, 
Wien, Österreich.
Photo: 8 October 2017.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia, unless stated otherwise.

The sides of the Pulpit erupt like stylised Petals from the Stem supporting it. On those Gothic Petals are relief portraits of the four original Doctors of The Church (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Ambrose, Saint Gregory the Great and Saint Jerome).

The hand-rail of the Stairway curving its way around the Pillar has fantastic decorations of Toads and Lizards biting each other, symbolising the fight of good against evil. At the top of the Stairs, a Stone Puppy protects the Preacher from intruders.

Beneath the Stairs, is one of the most-beloved symbols of the Cathedral: A Stone self-portrait of the unknown sculptor “gawking” (German: Gucken) out of a window (German: Fenster) and thus famously known as the “Fenstergucker”.

The Chisel in the subject’s hand, and the Stonemason’s signature Mark on the Shield above the window, led to the speculation that it could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.


Chapels.

There are several Chapels in Saint Stephen’s Cathedral:

Saint Catherine’s Chapel, in the base of the South Tower, is the Baptismal Chapel.

The fourteen-sided Baptismal Font was completed in 1481, and its Cover was formerly the Sound-Board above the famed Pulpit in the Church.

Its Marble Base shows the four Evangelists, while the Niches of the Basin feature Christ, the twelve Apostles, and Saint Stephan.

St. Barbara's Chapel, in the base of the North Tower, is used for meditation and Prayer.

St. Eligius’s Chapel, in the South-East corner, is open for Prayer. The Altar is dedicated to Saint Valentine, whose body is in another Chapel, upstairs.

St. Bartholomew's Chapel, above Saint Eligius’ Chapel, has recently been restored.


The Chapel of The Cross, in the North-East corner, holds the burial place of Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Vault containing three coffins and a heart urn, under a massive stone slab with iron rings.

The funeral of Mozart occurred here on 6 December 1791. The beard on the crucified Christ above the Altar is of real hair. The Chapel is not open to the public.

Saint Valentine’s Chapel, above the Chapel of The Cross, is the current depository of the hundreds of Relics belonging to the “Stephansdom” (Saint Stephen’s Cathedral), including a piece of the tablecloth from The Last Supper.

A large Chest holds the bones of Saint Valentine that were moved here about a Century ago, from what is now the Chapter House to the South of The High Altar.


Tombs, Catacombs, and Crypts.

Since its earliest days, the Cathedral has been surrounded by Cemeteries dating back to Roman times, and has sheltered the bodies of nobles and commoners.

It has always been an honour to be buried inside a Church, close to the physical presence of the Saints, whose Relics are preserved there. Those less honoured were buried near, but outside, the Church.

Inside the Cathedral, in the Chapel of The Cross (North-West corner of the Cathedral) are the tombs of Prince Eugene of Savoy, Commander of the Imperial forces during the War of the Spanish Succession, and of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, under whose reign the Diocese of Vienna was Canonically erected on 18 January 1469, in the Apostles’ Choir (South-East corner of the Cathedral).

The construction of Emperor Frederick’s tomb spanned over forty-five years, starting twenty-five years before his death.


The impressive sarcophagus is made of the unusually dense Red Marble-like Stone found at the Adnet quarry. 

Carved by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden, the tomb lid shows Emperor Frederick in his Coronation Regalia surrounded by the Coats-of-Arms of all of his dominions. The tomb has 240 statues and is a glory of Mediæval sculptural art.

PART TEN FOLLOWS.
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The Great Organ, Estergom Basilica, Hungary.



English:
An introduction to the Great Organ of Esztergom Basilica 
in Hungary, by resident Organist István Baróti, 
at its present state of completion in 2011.
Magyar:
Az esztergomi bazilika orgonája.
Available on YouTube


English:
The Great Organ Of Estergom Basilica, Hungary.
Magyar:
Az esztergomi bazilika orgonája.
Photo: 9 September 2009.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Ivanhoe
(Wikimedia Commons)


Coat-of-Arms of Hungary.
“Per pale, the first barry of eight Gules and Argent,
the second Gules, on a mount Vert a crown Or,
issuant therefrom a double cross Argent.
In crest the Holy Crown of Hungary.”
Date: 1 January 2009.
Source:
Author: Thommy
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following Text is from Wikipedia.

The Primatial Basilica of the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Adalbert (Hungarian: Nagyboldogasszony és Szent Adalbert prímási főszékesegyház), also known as the Basilica of Esztergom (Hungarian: Esztergomi bazilika), is an Ecclesiastic Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, 
and the Seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary.

It is dedicated to the Assumption of Saint Mary and 
Saint Adalbert and is the largest Church in Hungary.
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The Cathedral And Primatial Basilica Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven, And Saint Adalbert. Esztergom, Hungary.



The Cathedral and Primatial Basilica
of The Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven,
and Saint Adalbert, Esztergom, Hungary.
Photo: 13 August 2011.
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/
ramoncutanda/6100881117/
Author: Ramón Cutanda López.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Coat-of-Arms of Hungary.
Blazon “Per pale, the first barry of eight Gules and Argent,
the second Gules, on a mount Vert a crown Or,
issuant therefrom a double cross Argent.
In crest the Holy Crown of Hungary.”
Date: 1 January 2009.
Source:
Author: Thommy
(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless otherwise stated.

The Primatial Basilica of The Blessed Virgin Mary 
Assumed Into Heaven and Saint Adalbert (Hungarian: Nagyboldogasszony és Szent Adalbert prímási főszékesegyház), also known as the Esztergom Basilica (Hungarian: Esztergomi bazilika), is an Ecclesiastic Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, and the Seat of The Catholic Church in Hungary.

It is dedicated to Saint Mary of The Assumption, and Saint Adalbert.


English: The Altarpiece of Esztergom Basilica.
Painted by Michelangelo Grigoletti. It is the biggest
Altarpiece in the World painted onto a single canvas.
Magyar: Az esztergomi bazilika oltárképe, melyet Michelangelo Grigoletti festett. A világ legnagyobb, 
egy vászonra festett olajképe.
Photo: 9 September 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ivanhoe
(Wikimedia Commons)

It is the biggest building in Hungary and the eighteenth biggest Church in the World. Its inner area is 5,600 m². It is 118 m long and 49 m wide. It has a reverberation time of more than 9 seconds. Its Dome, forming a Semi-Sphere, is situated in the middle, and it has twelve windows. It is 71.5 m high inside, with a diameter of 33.5 metres, and is 100 m high from outside, counted from the Crypt.

The Altarpiece (13.5 × 6.6 metres, depicting The Assumption 
of The Blessed Virgin Mary, by Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti) is the largest painting in the World painted on a single piece of canvas.


English: Esztergom Cathedral.
Magyar: Az Esztergomi Bazilika éjjel.
Photo: 21 February 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Villy
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Basilica is also known as the Bakócz Chapel (named after Tamás Bakócz), built by Italian Masters between 1506 – 1507, out of Red Marble of Süttő, its walls adorned with Tuscan Renaissance motifs.

It is the most precious remaining example of Renaissance Art in Hungary.

The huge Crypt, built in Old Egyptian Style in 1831, is today the resting place of Late Archbishops, among others, József Mindszenty, famous for his opposition to both Nazi and Communist rule.


Esztergom, Hungary.
Photo: April 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karelj
(Wikimedia Commons)

The building of the present Church took place on the Foundations of several earlier Churches. The first was built by Stephen I of Hungary, between 1001–1010 (as the original Saint Adalbert Church), the first Cathedral in Hungary, which was burned down at the end of the 12th-Century.

It was rebuilt, and even survived the Mongol invasion of Hungary. However, in 1304, Wenceslaus III, a probable candidate for the Hungarian Throne, sacked the Castle and the Church. It was repaired in the following years.


Esztergom Basilica.
Photo: 15 June 2011.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Archbishops, of the 14th- and 15th-Centuries, made the Church more ornate and added a huge Library, the second most significant one in the Country.

It was ruined again, under Turkish rule, in 1543. In 1820, the Archdiocese was restored and Archbishop Sándor Rudnay decided to restore Esztergom’s status as Mother Church of the Country. The Church maintains the Relics of the Catholic Martyr and Saint, Marko Krizin.

The architect was Pál Kühnel and the lead contractor was János Packh. The Foundation-Stone was laid and work began in 1822. The Bakócz Chapel was carefully disassembled (into about 1,600 pieces) and was moved twenty metres away from its original location and attached to the new Basilica.


Coronation Chasuble.
Hungarian embroidery from the 17th-Century.
Photo: 18 February 2013.
Current location: Főszékesegyházi kincstár, 
Esztergom, Hungary.
Source: Own work, scanned by Szilas from
A magyar Szent Korona by Tóth Endre,
Szelényi Károly, Kossuth 2000, Budapest.
Author: Szilas
(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1838, Packh was murdered, so József Hild was placed in charge of construction. He completed it in Classic Style. Under the next Archbishop, János Scitovszky, the Upper Church was completed and Dedicated on 31 August 1856.

The 1856 Consecration Ceremonies featured the premiere of the “Missa Solennis zur Einweihung der Basilika in Gran” (Grand Mass), composed and conducted by Franz Liszt, and featuring the Organist Alexander Winterberger.

The final completion of the Cathedral took place twelve years later, in 1869.


English: The Organ,
Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary.
Magyar: Az esztergomi bazilika orgonája.
Photo: 9 September 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ivanhoe
(Wikimedia Commons)

The renovation and enlargement of the Organ started in the 1980s, after extensive preparations, and it is currently in progress. It is supervised by István Baróti, the Basilica’s Organist and Choirmaster since 1975. As of 2008, the project is still not fully funded.

The Organ has five Manuals and, by 2006, had eighty-five Stops working out of the planned 146.

The Organ contains the largest Organ Pipes in Hungary, ten metres long (about thirty-five feet). When complete, it will be the third largest Organ in Europe, surpassing all Organs in Hungary in both volume and variety of Stops.

At the time of the construction, in 1856, the Organ was the largest in Hungary with forty-nine Stops, 3,530 Pipes and three Manuals. The present Organ preserves several Stops from the instrument that Liszt played.

For the Organ’s detailed specifications, see its article in the Hungarian Wikipedia.
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