It is said that the first church that was built on the site of the Matthias Church dates to the time of King István in the early 1000’s and there has been an elaborate history ever since. King Mátyás Corvinus was crowned at the age of fourteen during 1458 and was twice married here. The building was used as a mosque after 1541 when the Turks subjugated the Castle district and extracts from the Koran were painted on the walls of the church. In 1686 during the siege of Buda the building took tremendous strain, but Frigyes Schulek found remains of medieval paintings, crypts and statues and restored the church during the 19th century, adding some decoration of his own. Therefore the styles are an intermingling from between the 13th and 19th centuries.

Budapest is a wonderful city to examine various architectural styles but there are few building where you get to witness a medley such as Budapest's Matthias Church! Many of the outstanding Budapest hotels occupy wonderful old buildings.