St. Stephen's Basilica

This building, on the grand scale of bygone times, is actually quite recent. It was completed in 1905. Wikipedia tells us that in 1868, the dome collapsed and the whole thing had to demolished for a fresh start. So even though construction was underway for 54 years, you could say that they only really started in 1868 since they started over then.

The altar is graced by an illuminated, pure white statue of St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038). You will notice the curved, ornamented collonade between the statue and the supporting wall of the dome. Given the timing of the construction, this can't be unintentional. This construction mirrors the much larger construction that holds likenesses (assuming we know what all these people actually looked like) of the statues featuring the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders.

It is very clear that this space is inspired at least as much to celebrate the mortal heroes of Hungary as it is meant to inspire religious fervor.

The floor plan is that of a greek cross. At one of the crossings is another dome filled with and surrounded by more gold leaf than you can quite take in. It is faily stupefying to stand under this and look up..

At the central crossing, is a large dome (I think this is the one that fell). All spectacular.