The site is of great importance in Hungarian history as it contains the vestiges of the basilica founded by Stephen I, known as King St Stephen (in Hungarian, Szent István király). It is a sacred place, where 37 kings of Hungary were crowned and some 20 are buried, including Stephen I himself, who lies in the white marble sarcophagus at the entrance. The basilica was destroyed in 1601, when gunpowder stored by Turkish troops exploded.