Buda Castle Buda Castle, Budapest
Visit the charming Matthias Church in the Buda Castle Budapest and enjoy a Sunday evening organ concert free of charge.
Matthias Church is not only the most visited and most popular Roman Catholic church in Budapest, its seven-hundred-year-old history also serves as a symbol of the capital’s rich historic past.
Beautiful architecture, unusual painted interior make this church worth visiting on the Buda Side of Budapest.
Matthias Church also hosts regular organ and other classical music concert series.
Yet, one of the most popular concert series is called the “Sunday Night Organ Concerts”. These free organ recitals happen only once a month and always on a Sunday.
UPDATE: Kindly note that due to Covid, the concert series is not available for the foreseeable future. That said, the organ is in use at many masses in the church and there are concerts featured in the programme on a monthly/ weekly basis depending on the season. We suggest checking the programme of upcoming events at Matthias Church directly in Budapest (at your hotel reception, at a concert agency, on the church website, etc.)
Organ Concerts in Matthias Church, Buda Castle District
Apr 15, 2024 from 7.30pm • Zsolt Kiss
May 6, 2024 from 7.30pm • Slavomir Kaminsky
More concerts in Matthias Church, Buda Castle District: classical music concert series.
More organ concerts in Budapest city: upcoming Organ Concerts in Budapest Basilica
Further dates for organ recitals not confirmed yet for 2025. The Church holds regular organ masses on Sundays for those who wish to participate in the mass (in Hungarian). Kindly note that during the organ mass tourists cannot visit the church.
The complete organ system has 111 stops, 7771 pipes and 18 tubular bells. The largest pipe is 10.6 m long and weighs almost 175 kg, while the smallest one measures 8 mm and weighs only 60 g.
The organ can be played by up to four organists at the very same time, using four consoles attached to it. The organ in Matthias Church, called as the “King’s Organ”, is the largest musical instrument in Budapest, and therefore is able to fill the finest acoustic space in the whole city.
If you are interested in other organ concerts too, visit the the neo-classical St. Stephen’s Basilica, where you can enjoy the excellent acoustics of the church every Thursday, during the St Stephen’s Basilica Organ Concert series performed by one of Hungary’s most talented pipe organ players, Kolos Kovats.
Matthias Church & Tours
The current Roman Catholic church was founded by King Bela IV.
When the Mongol invaders left Hungary in 1242 in complete ruins, King Bela IV decided to move the royal residence to Buda Castle.
Since the 16th century, Matthias Church (or as it was originally called The Church of Our Lady) has been the Coronation Church of Hungary.
Matthias Church is located in the heart of the Buda Castle district, where there are many other sights nearby that are well worth visiting. The Castle Hill is also great for walks and admiring the beautiful historic buildings and other riverside attractions of Budapest.
If you want to make the most of your time in Castle Hill, we recommend visiting Buda Castle and the Fisherman’s Bastion, as well as Matthias Church.
Take a tour in the historical Buda Castle District, including a visit inside the Matthias Church. Book a ticket to the popular Matthias Church with a Castle District walking tour to get to know more secrets of this beautiful attraction.
Dear BUDA castle Budapest,
I’m enquiring about the possibility of free concerts /masses with music beginning of APRIL 2025.
Would you ba able to email information please?
Thank you!
Dear Kristine,
At Matthias Church, visiting Buda Castle on Sundays you can experience spiritual and musical enrichment with two mass options: the 12:00 Organ Mass and the 18:00 Guitar Mass Both services are a unique cultural experience in a stunning Gothic setting.
Please note that the masses are sacred, and we kindly ask visitors who wish only to explore the church to visit outside of mass hours. For more concerts at Matthias Church, visit:
https://budacastlebudapest.com/concerts-in-matthias-church/
For a deeper dive into organ music, the Organ Expedition concert series at the Palace of Arts Budapest offers an engaging exploration of the grand organ.
Enjoy your time in Budapest!