St Stephen's Basilica

A more traditional touristy blip today.  St Stephen - or Istvan - was the first Hungarian Christian King who was crowned on Christmas Day 1000 AD.  he sought o unite the various peoples of Hungary.

The Basilica started construction in 1851.  The original dome collapsed in 1868and the church was completed in only 1905.

Unlike the Matyas church we visited the other day with its ornate decoration, this church could broadly be found in many cities across Europe but nevertheless  has some distinctive features - including the withered mummified forearm of St Stephen himself.

A lunch of goulash soup (with beer) fooled by a siesta then a visit to see some Hungarian folklore dancing. I used to thin kScottish Country Dancing was energetic but what we saw knocked spots of what we do.  Physical, energetic, noisy with lots of stamping, hand clapping, slapping of legs, twirling  and leaping.  A fitness workout while singing and shouting at the same time.  There was even a type of sword dance (with sticks).  A very impressive mix of Greek, Celtic, Central European:  in other words Hungarian - reflecting the mix of peoples Stephan sought to bring together.

Interesting given the shift in current policies here against immigration and much greater control of media and culture.