Magyar Posta is issuing a special stamp in honour of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and Saint Adalbert being restored. Fifty thousand copies of the new issue designed by the graphic artist Ferenc Szabó were produced by ANY Security Printing Company. The new stamp will be available at first day post offices and Filaposta in Hungary from 18 August 2023, but may also be ordered from Magyar Posta’s online store.
Hungary’s largest church, the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint Adalbert, popularly known as the Esztergom Basilica, stands on the top of Esztergom’s Castle Hill. Its status in the Roman Catholic Church is made clear to visitors by the Latin inscription on the façade: CAPUT, MATER ET MAGISTRA ECCLESIARUM HUNGARIAE, meaning: HEAD, MOTHER AND TEACHER OF THE CHURCHES OF HUNGARY.
The first cathedral of the Archdiocese of Esztergom, founded in 1001, was built in 10 years on the top of the Castle Hill during the reign of King Stephen I. In the centuries of the Middle Ages, the church had to be rebuilt several times due to damage caused by fire or siege. The church was also extended and altered. The first plans for the present building date back to the 18th century, but it was through the resolute support of four archbishops between 1820 and 1886 that the undertaking was completed. Conservation has been a constant task for the archbishops of later ages.
In terms of external dimensions, it is the largest ecclesiastical building in Hungary, 100 metres high from the undercroft to the sphere of the dome. It is the third largest basilica in Europe, but the size of the basilica is significant in world terms as well. The Basilica’s complete restoration is currently ongoing. In addition to the renovation of the entrance and its surroundings and the reconstruction of the dome, the interior will also receive a facelift, the north aisle will be restored, and a lift to the treasury and the panoramic hall will be installed. Source: bazilika-esztergom.hu
The main motif of the stamp design and the commemorative first day cover is the building of the Basilica of Esztergom. The imprint of the postmark on the first day cover shows a stylised drawing of a bird's-eye view of the dome.
