The vicissitudes of its construction might well have tested even the patience of God Himself, for this basilica took 55 years to build.

This huge edifice, the largest church in the city, accommodates 8,500 people. Construction started in 1851 and wasn't completed until 1906, which gave rise to the local joke 'I'll settle up when the basilica is finished'. The ground plan of the basilica represents the shape of a Greek cross, and is divided into nine barrel-vaulted parts, with a cupola in the middle. No expense was spared in material glorification: 41kg of 24-carat gold were used for the gilding, while 88 statues adorn the exterior, celebrating, on the Danube side, the Hungarian rulers, and on the Kossuth side, the princes of Transylvania and several famous commanders. Above the ground floor windows are the lavish coats of arms of kings and princes.