Székesfehérvár Basilica

St. Stephen's Cathedral Basilica
Ruins of the basilica
Basic information
Location	Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Geographic coordinates	47°11′30″N 18°24′39″E / 47.1917°N 18.4107°E / 47.1917; 18.4107Coordinates: 47°11′30″N 18°24′39″E / 47.1917°N 18.4107°E / 47.1917; 18.4107
Affiliation	Roman Catholicism
Status	ruined

The Basilica of Saint Stephen is a basilica in Székesfehérvár, (in Latin: Alba Regia) Hungary.

It was built in the late 1010s by Saint Stephen I, the first King of Hungary. The basilica was an impressive building, one of the greatest in Hungary. It was not episcopal until 1777, but it was used as the principal church of the rulers of Hungary.

It was the most significant place of the Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages, as it contained the crown jewels, including the throne, the Holy Crown of Hungary, the treasury and the archives. 37 kings and 39 queens consort were crowned in this basilica and 15 were buried in it. In 1543, the Turks occupied Székesfehérvár. The royal graves were ransacked and the basilica was used to store gunpowder while St. Martin's Cathedral in Pozsony became the new coronation site.

In 1601, the valuable building was destroyed by fire. During this time, the Ottoman rule of the city was interrupted for about one year. Illustrations of the 17th century suggest that the fire and probable blow up was caused by Christian artillery in the course of the Christian conquest.

Its ruins were demolished and used for the construction of the new episcopal residence and for the reconstruction of another old church which in the XVIII Century became the cathedral of the Diocese of Szekesfehervar, erected in 1777.

Thirteen kings and two queens consort were buried in Székesfehérvár Basilica.

Family members of the kings of Hungary have also been buried in the basilica, such as Catherine, the eldest daughter and heiress presumptive of King Louis I by Elizabeth of Bosnia.