Hungary: Esztergom Basilica

Hungary issued this souvenir sheet of a single stamp (Scott 4003) in 2006 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Esztergom Basilica several miles northwest of Budapest. The present facility was built atop the site of much earlier religious buildings beginning in 1822. The present edifice was completed and dedicated 1856. It is the largest church in Hungary. The original organ was installed along with the completion of the basilica in 1856, an instrument by Ludwig Mooser. It was a respectable 3-manual instrument with 49 ranks. Istvan Baroti, director of music from 1975-2014 oversaw an ambitious expansion of the instrument, with a goal of it becoming the largest in Hungary, and rivaling the largest instruments in all of Europe. The stamp features an exterior view of the basilica; the selvage shows various elements of the interior. The LL reveals a portion of the organ case and facade pipes.