Nemzeti Emlékhely – Középkori Romkert

About the museum

The wall remains visible in the city centre of Székesfehérvár, near the bishop’s palace, preserve the memory of the Virgin Mary provostry church founded by Saint Stephen. The church was the site of coronations (38 Hungarian kings) and royal burials (15 rulers), the home of diets and gatherings of the great lords, and in the Árpád period the crown jewels were also kept here. The tombs of Saint Stephen and Saint Emeric made it a place of pilgrimage.

The 11th-century building consisted of one main nave and two side aisles, and was 65 metres long and 37.5 metres wide. In the 14th century it was rebuilt in Gothic style; King Nagy Lajos founded the Saint Catherine chapel on the south side, and Hunyadi Mátyás added a late-Gothic sanctuary. During the Ottoman occupation (from 1543) it fell into ruin, and the last parts were demolished around 1800.

Excavations began in the mid-19th century. The surviving wall remains and stone carvings were displayed in the Romkert (Ruin Garden), completed in 1938 to designs by Lux Géza; the wall paintings are by Aba-Novák Vilmos, the leaded glass windows by Árkayné Sztehlo Lily, and the reliefs by Madarassy Walter. The Ruin Garden was declared a national memorial site by Act CXLIX of 2011. It is an exhibition site of the Szent István Király Múzeum.

Highlights

• Wall remains and stone carvings of the royal basilica
• Memorial site of the tombs of Saint Stephen and Saint Emeric
• Ruin Garden built in 1938, with wall paintings by Aba-Novák Vilmos
• Tombs of King III. Béla and Queen Anna
• Coronation Basilica Visitor Centre nearby (joint ticket)

Permanent exhibition

• Nemzeti Emlékhely – Középkori Romkert – Wall remains, stone carvings and excavated tombs of the royal basilica, in the open air and in the building of the Ruin Garden.

Founded

1938

Operated by

Szent István Király Múzeum

Admission & discounts

Free admission: On national holidays (15 March, 20 August, 23 October) every visitor may enter free, under the rules of the Szent István Király Múzeum.

Prices are listed on the price list at szikm.hu. Visitors aged 6–26 and 62–70 receive a 50% discount.

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