Székesfehérvár - Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul

The best place to begin the tour through the southern part of the Old Town is at the Városház tér. From here the Arany János utca turns off south and on the left hand side and at the highest point in the town on the site of the former castle of the Árpáds rises the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul. Great Prince Géza, who instigated the affiliation of the Magyars to the Roman Catholic church, built a small church here (see markings on the pavement), in which he was interred.

In 1235 it became a Gothic parish church which in turn gave way to the new cathedral when Székesfehérvár was elevated to a diocesan town (1759-78). The architect Martin Grabner retained the Gothic windows of the earlier church in the west towers of this mighty rather overpowering Late Baroque edifice. The interior frescos depicting scenes from the life of King Stephan (the Saint) and the paintings of the side altars are by Johann Cymbal from Vienna (1768). The choir and the high altar (1775) were the work of the Viennese architect Franz Anton Hillebrand; the altarpiece (King Stephan kneeling before the Mother of God) is by Vinzenz Fischer.