Matthias Church is a medieval Gothic church built in the 13th century in Budapest, Hungary. It served as a coronation church for Hungarian Kings during the Middle age, then as a mosque for the Ottoman during the 17th century. Today, it is a Catholic church that often hosts masses, concerts, and weddings. Although the general structure of the church is in Gothic style, colored roof tiles and the use of warm colors in the interior indicate that its architecture carries traces of different periods.
The church itself was built in the 13th century, and its bell tower was built in 1470. The restorations during the 19th century removed the Baroque elements to bring back the original Gothic look of the church. The structure also received patterned and colored roof tiles during the restorations. These Hungarian Zsolnay tiles are of bright orange, brown, green, red, and white colors, creating a spectacular view.
Matthias Church suffered great damage during the Second World War, and its roof almost entirely burned down. Following the War, the church was decided to be demolished. Nevertheless, the Communist State Government began rebuilding the structure and finished the new roof by 1950. However, due to the pollution and the lesser quality of the tiles compared to Zsolnay tiles, the government had to completely reconstruct the roof between 2006 and 2013. The church now has 2,500 square meters of roof tiles comprising 149,500 individual ceramic pieces.
