Monastery Tour - Monasteries in Europe

The church, the abbey and the Calvary compose one of the most characteristic architectural ensembles of Baroque pilgrimages in Hungary and of the Benedictine order promoting this movement. The builders of the monastic complex were inspired by the cult of Mariazell in Austria, and built their house in one of the routes of pilgrimage in the middle of the 18th century. A special mention has to be made about the space behind the apse of the church, which is a collection of objects connected to the tradition of pilgrimage. The Baroque building of the abbey doesn’t have direct connection with the church and the Baroque Calvary is also a separate architectural ensemble.

The Abbey-Church of Lébény was founded between 1199 and 1203, in honour of Saint Jacob the Apostle. Their founders were bailiffs, descendents of the Gyõr clan that owned huge estates in the region. The clan continued sponsoring the abbey with considerable donations even after the act of foundation. From artistic point of view, the elements of plastic art decorating its walls are of exceptional value.

The first orthodox church made of wood was constructed by the monks from the Serbian-Dalmatian Dragovity monastery in the 1580s. Later the pasha of Buda gave permission for the second one made of stone that was constructed in 1585. The Turks destroyed the monastery working with their permission in 1667.

The Dominican nunnery of Veszprém was founded by Bartholomew, the bishop of Veszprém in 1240, in the honour of Saint Catherine. The vestiges of the nunnery-church can be visited at the foot of the Vár Hill, but major part of the monastery building is situated under the nearby houses.

The Benedictine abbey of Tihany is located in the Western part of Hungary on the peninsula in Lake Balaton. The Benedictine abbey of Tihany was founded in 1055 by András I. in honour of the Virgin Mary and the bishop Saint Ányos. The royal founder of the abbey found his final place of rest in the crypt of the abbey in 1060, his burial-stone has been preserved intact. The foundation charter of the abbey, safeguarded in the archive of the arch-abbacy of Pannonhalma.