Pannonhalma Archabbey
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Pannonhalma's most notable landmark, the Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey, one of the oldest historical monuments in Hungary, can be found next to the town, on top of a hill (282 m). Saint Martin of Tours is believed to be born at the foot of this hill, hence its former name, Mount of Saint Martin or Martinsberg, from which the monastery occasionally took the alternative name of Martinsberg. The abbey is dedicated to Saint Martin, so is sometimes also referred to as St. Martin's Abbey. This is the second largest territorial (ie., approx. sovereign) abbey in the world, after the one in Monte Cassino.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
The monastery complex
Its notable sights include the Basilica with the Crypt (built in the XIII century), the Cloisters, the monumental Library with 360,000 volumes, the Baroque Refectory (with several examples of trompe l'oeil) and the Archabbey Collection (the second biggest in the country).Today there are about 50 monks living in the monastery. The abbey is supplemented by the Benedictine Secondary School, a boys' boarding school.
History
It was founded as the first Hungarian Benedictine monastery in 996 by Prince Géza, who designated this place for the monks to settle down, and the place soon became the centre of the Benedictine order. Géza's son, King Stephen I donated estates and privilege to the monastery. The first written record of Hungarian language, the Charter of the Tihany Benedictine Abbey, dating back to 1055, is still preserved in the library. The first buildings of the community were destroyed, then rebuilt in 1137. The Basilica's pillars and the early Gothic vault were built in the early XIII century, using the walls of the former church. In 1486 it was reconstructed under King Matthias in Gothic style. The monastery became an archabbey in 1541 and in the XVI and XVII century it was turned into a fortification. In the XVII and XVIII century, the complex had rich Baroque adjustments and extensions (much of its present parts was made at this time). It received its present form in 1832, with the library and the tower built in classicistic style. In the 1860's, major renovations took place by Ferenc Storno, mostly in the basilica. – In 1995, one year before the millennium, the complex was entirely reconstructed and renovated. In 1996, "the Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment" was elected among the World Heritage sites.Visits
Pannonhalma was visited, among others, by Alexius II, Patriarch of Moscow in 1994, Pope John Paul II in 1996 and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and the Dalai Lama in 2000. – In 2005, a film was made about the archabbot, Asztrik Várszegi, titled A közvetítő ("The mediator").
Szent Gellért College of Theology
There is a College of Theology functioning in the archabbey, named after Saint Gellert.Secondary School
- See the article Benedictine Secondary School, Pannonhalma
Further sights
Around the monastery one can find the following:- Arboretum (founded in 1820, with more than 400 species, among them several specialities)
- Millennium Monument (Neoclassicistic, 1896)
- Our Lady Chapel (Baroque, 1724; Romantic, 1865)
- Way of the Cross (Baroque, 1724)
- Blessed Maurice Lookout Tower in the woods nearby
See also
Further settlements of the Benedictine Order in Hungary
External links
- [Archabbey of Pannonhalma]
- [Entry of the film "The Mediator" in a Hungarian database], including a seven-minute trailer introducing the monastery (click "adsl/kábel")
- [Catholic Encyclopedia entry]
- [UNESCO description]
- [Description & pictures]
- [Description & pictures] (Hungary.com)
- [Pannonhalma, letter of privileges of Pannonhalma] (The Vazul-line: Kings of the Árpád dynasty after St. Stephen (1038—1301))
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