Meanwhile, across town, Pest's largest Cathedral is named for another great Hungarian king, Istvan (ISHT-vahn). Szent Istvan, or Saint Stephen's as it's known in western Christianity (Stephen was his Christian name after canonization) is just as beautiful but architecturally different than Matthias.
Inside, Istvan is wonderfully ornate with plenty of gold inlay.
Unfortunately, the most unique aspect of St. Istvan was unavailable when I visited. Inside, they keep the mummified right forearm of the great King Istvan. When I was there the church where it's kept was closed for a private ceremony. So, when I return with my dad in June, we'll have to make that a priority.
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4 comments:
Those are some amazing pictures of the cathedrals. Perfect timing on the first one!
~ Jonathan
And why are they keeping the king's right forearm?
Good question, Nat. I wondered the same thing. Is there something significant about that body part? Or is it just the only piece they found?
I don't know why the fist is kept there other than it is a relic they still have of Istvan. There has to be a better explanation, but I don't know what it is. I'll ask around and see what I can find.
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