“Imagine fleeing the Turks in the late 17th century and seeking refuge.” This is partly how the story of the Church of St. George in Budapest begins. It is a Serbian Orthodox church. It stands as the sole Serbian Orthodox church in Hungary’s capital today.
The Church of St. George is dedicated to Saint George. You will find it nestled in the city center. It is less than 100 meters from Váci Street. Váci Street is Budapest’s main pedestrian zone. The Hungarian National Office for Cultural Heritage protects this building.
Let’s step back in time. An older Serbian place of worship stood here. It was built when Serbs settled during the Ottoman Empire. That empire ruled over Ottoman Hungary in the 16th and 17th centuries. Some say a Serbian worship place existed even before the 1526 Battle of Mohács. A source from 1655 says the church had a cemetery by the Kecskemét Gate.
The Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi mentioned the Serbs’ church in Pest in his travelogue from 1660 to 1664. In 1685, the Habsburg Empire took over Hungary. The Serbian community remained. Their church, however, was destroyed in 1686.
The Great Migrations of the Serbs in 1690 increased the local Serb community. Habsburg authorities allowed them to build a new church in 1695. By 1698, Patriarch Arsenije III Čarnojević renovated the church.
In the early 18th century, Serbs were a large part of Pest’s population. This meant a need for a bigger church. In 1731, a project for a new Baroque church was prepared. Construction finished in 1733. András Mayerhoffer from Salzburg designed it. The Baroque bell tower was added in 1752. Stefan Tenecki created the original iconostasis.
Disaster struck in 1838. A major flood damaged the old iconostasis. By 1850, the Church of St. George received a new iconostasis in Neo-Renaissance style. A Greek artist created it. The baroque church garden is walled in stone. Tombstones of Serbians buried in Pest are built into it.
At the corner of Szerb Street and Veres Pálné Street, you can see a ceramic image. It depicts St. George slaying the dragon.
The Church of St. George in Pest was second in importance only to the Church of Saint Demetrius for the Serbian community in Budapest. Sadly, the Church of Saint Demetrius was badly damaged in World War II. It was torn down in 1949. This made the Church of St. George the only Serbian worship place in the city. Archaeological research in 1959 confirmed that the current building was built on the site of an older church.
Today, the Church of St. George stands as a testament to faith. It represents resilience. For over 250 years, this Serbian Orthodox parish has carried out its mission. It continues to welcome new members.
Step inside. Marvel at the artistry. Note the dizzying examples of Orthodox Christian symbology. The iconostasis is highly detailed. The interior was reconditioned in the late 2010s. At St. George the Martyr, faith finds its home. Here, history whispers. Here, community thrives.