The exact date of the foundation of the church is unknown but probably it was during the 1250s and 60s. Its original name was the Church of the Holy Mother but later people renamed it after King Mathias. His coat-of-arms depicting a raven with a ring in the beak was placed on the southern tower in 1470. Beside the religious function of the church it has always been a historical sanctuary as well. It has been the venue of many prominent events of Hungarian history for centuries. The church played a very important role in the Hungarian kingdoms according to the chronicles of the Middle Ages. The kings, who had been crowned in SzΘkesfehΘrvßr previously, held their inaugurating speach for the public of the capital in this church. The royal weddings were also held here just as the royal catafalques.
