St. Stephen Basilica in Budapest

Hungary is home to Szent István-bazilika or in English, St. Stephen's Basilica. It is a famous landmark in the inner city of Budapest, in District V (Belváros-Lipótváros).

I have been blessed to have set my foot inside this famous, and beautiful Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest. I must say, beautiful is even an understatement. It's just very breath-taking, from the outside to the interior of the basilica. Everything is beautiful.

The basilica is named in honour of St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary.  It has a neo-classical architectural design with 2 bell towers and a grand dome, following a Greek-cross style layout plan. Most of the stone carvings are intricate and edges of the church's dome and inner ceilings have gold foil. It is truly a magnificent architecture for many people to behold.

In the left side of the main altar, houses the relic of St. Stephen's right hand. It said to be miraculous so many church visitors and tourists take their time to visit the smaller altar and view the relic.

I went there to see it for myself but cannot come any closer for the relic's security and protection. It was housed inside an elaborate glass and metal container and you have to drop some Euro to activate the lights on for few minutes to have a better view of the right hand.

Getting inside the basilica is free. You can go up to the dome's observatory to get a better view of Budapest but with a minimal fee. My friend and I didn't go up since it was already noon and too hot and humid.

Aside from having an observatory, it also houses a big and smaller pipe organs. St. Stephen's Basilica also functions as a concert house for musical events as it take active participation in the promotion of music in the country. 

It is truly a remarkable experience to step inside the magnificent St. Stephen Basilica in Budapest. I only see it in travel magazines and travel sites. The feeling is ethereal especially when you realise that you're actually ticking another item off your bucket list.

So, if you are planning a trip in Budapest, include St. Stephen's Basilica in your itinerary or in your must-see places. I am very glad that the apartment I booked in was just 5 minutes walk from St. Stephen's Basilica. And waking up in the morning on the sight of the grandiose beauty of St. Stephen Basilica from our room is something I can only dream of. And it has happened...

Visiting Montserrat Monastery in Barcelona

I have always dreamed on setting foot to any pilgrim site since I was young. I have planned for this visit to happen for many years. I am very glad to have set foot in Montserrat Monastery in Catalonia, Spain with my daughter last June.

Almost at the top of the mountain is the beautiful Montserrat Monastery.

Montserrat Monastery is an abbey perched on the Montserrat mountain since early 9th century. The mountain looks like the jagged side of a knife from afar and much so, at a close range.

There are many ways to get there. You can go there via train, car, bus or even on motorcycle.  My daughter and I decided to take the train so we could enjoy the 1 hour ride to the countryside from Barcelona's Plaça Espana.

The signage that would lead to the rail line towards Montserrat.

The Montserrat Monastery and the view of the beautiful Montserrat mountain from the train.

The Montserrat Monastery is not at the very top of the mountain though. You have to take another funicular train to reach the top and from there, enjoy the breathtaking view of the Catalonia landscape, and also enjoy the nature's trail there, and the Santa Cova and the Sant Joan.

This is a beautiful view from the train while traversing the side of the mountain before we reached Montserrat Monastery.

We didn't visit the upper part of the mountain but we immensely enjoyed our time in the Benedictine grounds. There is a Black Madonna inside the Basilica in Montserrat. Some of the places you will visit there has entrance fees so it was mostly going around the grounds and walking towards the trail behind the monastery.

There are souvenir shops and museums. You can also view the beautiful landscape of Catalonia from the monastery grounds. And if you are feeling adventurous, you can go up  by taking the funicular.

I can go on and on about the beauty of the Montserrat Monastery and the mountain where it is. For us, it is another check mark in our bucket list.

Here are some of our snaps taken in Montserrat Monastery. Enjoy!

The Monserrat Monastery grounds at the Montserrat mountain in Catalonia. 

Beautiful, jagged, rounded, and even some pointed edges of the Montserrat mountain as the backdrop of the Monastery.

This is the view from the hiking trail behind the Monastery. 

The Basilica that houses the Black Madonna.

More photos of the Monastery grounds.

The alley that leads behind the Monastery,  hiking trail, and food outlets.

The museum near the Monastery grounds, just in front of the rack train station.

Such a beautiful view from where we were standing.

This is the long stairway that leads to the Basilica and the atrium.

My daughter and I had so much fan marvelling at the beauty around us. Visiting the Montserrat Monastery while we vacationed in Barcelona was one of the highlights of our summer Euro trip.

If you are visiting Barcelona, do not miss the opportunity to visit the Montserrat Monastery. It is a great experience if you want to enjoy nature, and also to enhance your spirituality.