Built in 1770 this is the Szent Istvan elso vertanu templom. Its history stretches far beyond its current baroque form. An Augustinian church and monastery stood here centuries ago. They were destroyed during the Turkish occupation.
After Buda’s liberation the Augustinians returned. They built a chapel in 1707 dedicated to Saint Stephen the First Martyr. The chapel quickly proved too small. Construction of the present church began in 1753. Nepauer Mate a Buda-based architect designed it.
The church was completed in 1770. Bishop Karoly Zbisko a Bosnian Franciscan consecrated it. The dedication was to Saint Stephen the First Martyr and Saint Stephen the First King of Hungary. Decorative work continued for another decade.
In 1785 Joseph II dissolved the Buda Augustinian monastery. The church and buildings passed to the Franciscan Order. The Franciscans from Vizivaros took over. They gave their Fo utca home to the Elizabeth nuns. They preserved much of the original design. They made only essential alterations. The Augustinians coat of arms remains above the monastery gate.
The monastery was extended in 1835-36 with a new convent wing. Dangerous cracks appeared in the church’s vaulting in 1903. A new rabic ceiling was created. The baroque wall paintings in the sanctuary were destroyed. During restoration in 1906 the original altar was replaced. It was replaced with a Tyrolean Stuflesser piece. Different wall paintings were added between 1904 and 1927. New stained glass windows also adorned the church.
World War II severely damaged the church. The facade and roof structure were damaged. The vaults and the steeple were badly damaged. The stained glass windows were broken. The main altar painting and the Mary image were destroyed. The church’s interior and vaults were restored in 1947. Facade restoration occurred in 1951. In 1993 the church’s interior was upgraded. The sanctuary floor was raised. It was covered with marble.
The new liturgical space is attributed to Ferenc Csagoly. A rock formation reminiscent of Golgotha stands before the new altar. The crucifix above was created by the elder Madarassy Walter. The younger Madarassy Walter restored the Tyrolean altar. Agnes Uladar designed the interior painting. The Szent Istvan elso vertanu templom is a single nave Baroque church. It features adjoining Baroque and Classicist monastery wings. The two-towered facade is divided by pilasters. These pilasters separate the ground floor and two upper levels. Above is a triangular pediment. The towers rise even higher topped with bulbous spires. The Franciscan stucco emblem is above the huge lyre-shaped choir window. Statues of the Virgin Mary with the child Jesus Saint Augustine and Saint Monica stand in the niches. A relief of the Eye of God is in the tympanum. The sculptural decorations on the facade likely are by J Lenart Weber.
The interior consists of a nave between the two towers. It has a three-sectioned nave. There is a slightly narrower sanctuary. The altar frame fills the back wall of the sanctuary. A Baroque group of the Holy Trinity is on the pilaster. The altar was completed in 1770. Its sculptures are the work of Karoly Bebo and Janos Henrik Jager. The neo-Baroque tabernacle and its furnishings are from the Tyrolean Stuflesser workshop. Two reliefs depict Saint Charles Borromeo celebrating Mass. Another shows Saint Stephen offering the Hungarian crown. They were replaced in 1906. The original tabernacle now resides on the Saint Francis altar.
Statues of Saint James of Marchia and Saint John Capistrano stand alongside. They’re from the Stuflesser workshop. (Statues of Saint Elizabeth and Saint Cajetan were once here.) Two hovering angels hold a copy of the Baroque devotional image. This was destroyed in 1944. Lajos Marton painted the copy. The altar painting depicts the stoning of Saint Stephen. It is also by Lajos Marton dating from 1946. The sacristy door opens from the left side of the sanctuary. Above it is the oratorium window. It is repeated as a blind motif on the opposite wall. Wide belts resting on pilaster columns divide the nave into three sections. A concave triumphal arch transitions to the narrower sanctuary. Each recess between the pilasters houses a side altar. Their architecture is by Nepauer Mate. The sculptural decorations are by J Lenart Weber. The Saint Elizabeth altar painting depicts a miracle. It shows Saint Elizabeth caring for the sick. Bela Kontuly painted it. Statues of Saint Rita and Saint William are by Karoly Bebo. The carved wooden statue of Saint Anthony of Padua is by Odon Metky from 1956.