Saint Anne Parish Church Danube River Sights in Budapest

A beautiful gem of the riverside attractions of Budapest is the historical Saint Anne Parish Church located on the Buda side of the Danube. Saint Anne Parish Church of upper Watertown has 21,5 meters wide and 55 meters high two-tower facade which is well visible from the riverside. The main gate is decorated with statues of Faith, Hope and Love, and the church has 3 bells.

History of Saint Anne Parish Church

During the long history of Saint Anne Parish Church, it survived floods, earthquakes and wars. The parish church was founded in 1390 and in 1540, during the Ottoman Rule in Hungary it was destroyed. Later, in 1687, Archbishop Georg Szechenyi has re-established the parish church and the birth of the registrar began in 1693.

On the foundation walls, there was a house built by Count Sinzendorf and later the building was used as a pub. The council of Buda has bought it back and started to reconstruct the church and parsonage with John Fiedler master bricklayer in 1724. At that time, masses were performed by Jesuits and the church became popular. The today’s temple base was designed by Christopher Hamon, and after his death, the building was finished by his widow’s husband, Matheus Nopauer in 1761. The temple did not stand for long, just 2 years after it was finished an earthquake has made significant damage. The damage was corrected according to the plans of John Hamon (the son of the original builder) and Adam Kogl, this time the facade has received the rich ornamentation in Baroque style. During the changes of parishes, the Saint Anne Church was neglected in 1773 until 1805 when Roman Catholics have consecrated again.

During the 1950s underground construction, the church was threatened to be demolished but finally survived the Communist era. It was finally restored in the 1990s.

During the years, Saint Anne Parish Church became a landmark of Budapest and probably the most significant building of Batthyany Square. The church can be seen close to Buda Castle Hill between Margaret Bridge and Szechenyi Chain Bridge.