Esztergom: Inside view of the Cathedral

The spectacular and grandiose interior of the Esztergom Cathedral belies the austerity of its crypt, where, among other famous ecclesiastical figures, lies the famous Catholic Cardinal József Mindszenty (1892-1975). Sentenced to life imprisonment by the Stalinist government in 1949, he was released during the 1956 insurrection, but after the crushing of the uprising had to seek asylum in the American Embassy in Budapest. There he spent the next 15 years, unable to leave the building.  This stained-glass portrait  of Mindszenty adorns a staircase in Hotel Gellert.