Basilica of St Peter

Lonely Planet review

The foundations of the four-towered Basilica of St Peter - or simply székesegyház (cathedral) - date back to the 11th century and the side chapels are from the 1300s. But most of what you see today of the neo-Romanesque structure is the result of renovations carried out in 1881. Guided tours are conducted in Hungarian and German and cost around Ft2000 .

The basilica is very ornate inside; the elevated central altar is a reproduction of a medieval one. The most interesting parts of the basilica are the four chapels under the towers and the crypt, the oldest part of the structure. The Chapel of Mary on the northwest side and the Chapel of the Sacred Heart to the northeast contain works by the 19th-century painters Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz. The Mór Chapel to the southeast has more works by Székely as well as magnificent pews. The Corpus Christi Chapel on the southwest side (enter from the outside) boasts a 16th-century red marble tabernacle, one of the finest examples of Renaissance stonework in the country.