Monastery of St Lawrence at Buda

The Monastery of St Lawrence at Buda, also known as the Pauline Monastery of Budaszentlőrinc (Hungarian: budaszentlőrinci pálos kolostor), is a former monastery belonging to the Pauline Order. Destroyed by the Ottomans, the remains of the monastery grounds are in an area called Szépjuhászné (English: Beautiful shepherdess) which is in the saddle between Hárshegy and János Hill in the 2nd district of Budapest. It is where the Pauline Order founded their first friary.[1] Today, only the foundation walls of the monastery remain.

Monastery of St Lawrence at Buda
Budaszentlőrinci pálos kolostor
Coordinates47°31′36″N 18°57′21″E
LocationBudapest, Hungary
Beginning date1300
Completion date1400

Background

In 1290, near what is today Budakeszi, on the outskirts of Budapest, a chapel called Budaszentlőrinc dedicated to St. Lawrence (Szent Lőrinc) was established on the site of what became the monastery. Around 1301, the construction of the Pauline monastery named after St. Lawrence began.[2] In 1308, Lőrinc, the fourth prior, made the monastery the headquarters of the order. It served in this capacity throughout its existence. Charles I of Hungary was among the first significant donors, as well as John Hencfi, who donated the surrounding forests to the monastery.

In 1381, the body of St. Paul, the patron saint of the order, was transferred from Venice to the Monastery of St. Lawrence at Buda, which thereby gained greatly in prestige, becoming a destination for pilgrims.[2] Following the Neapolitan campaigns of Louis I of Hungary, the king made donations of money and relics[3] to the monastery and offered the country under the patronage of Paul of Thebes as a co-patron saint. Following the Louis' donations, significant construction began and were completed in 1403.[2]

One of the monks of the monastery, László Báthory (1420–1484), received permission from the prior to move to a neighboring cave, Bátori cave , to devote himself to his work, Bible translation. He lived there, named in his honor, for twenty years (1437–1457).[4]

In 1527, after the Battle of Mohács, the monastery fell victim to Ottoman destruction.[5] The monks fled, taking what manuscripts and relics they could, when the building was ransacked.[6] The Hungarian Bible also disappeared.[7] The relics of St. Paul the Hermit were taken to Trenčín Castle and the Pauline treasures were evacuated to Horné Lefantovce and then to Lepoglava in Croatia.[6]

Archaeological excavations
Seal of the Buda rector John Hencfi

While the building was destroyed in the Ottoman era, the foundation walls of the monastery can still be seen. Over the centuries most of the stones were used in the construction of the houses in the area (for example, some carved stones can still be seen built into the spring house at Város-kút (Budapest)).[8][9]

In the 19th century, Imre Henszlmann began an excavation in 1847.[10] In 1934, this work was continued by Sándor Garády, and between 1961 and 1985, further work was carried out under the leadership of László Zolnay. From 1985, the last preservation of the ruins was carried out under the leadership of Zoltán Bencze.

See also

References
  1. Vegh, Andras (2016). Nagy, Balazs (ed.). Buda-Pest 1300 - Buda-Pest 1400. Two Topographical Snapshots. Medieval Buda in Context. Leiden: Brill. p. 187. ISBN 978-90-04-30768-1. LCCN 2016014148.
  2. Klaniczay, Gabor (2016). Nagy, Balazs (ed.). Sacred Sites in Medieval. Medieval Buda in Context. Leiden: Brill. p. 187. ISBN 978-90-04-30768-1. LCCN 2016014148.
  3. Montgomery, Scott B. (2010). St. Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins of Cologne. Peter Lang. ISBN 9783039118526.
  4. László Mezey (1956). "A "Báthory-biblia" körül. A mű és szerző" [Around the "Báthory Bible". The work and author]. A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Nyelv- és Irodalomtudományi Osztályának Közleményei (in Hungarian). 191-221.1
  5. Bodolai, Zoltán (1978). "Chapter 9. Darkness After Noon". The Timeless Nation – The History, Literature, Music, Art and Folklore of the Hungarian Nation. Hungaria Publishing Company. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  6. "Budapest és környékének pálos kolostorai » Szent Lőrinc monostor, Budaszentlőrinc" [Pauline monasteries in Budapest and its surroundings » Szent Lőrinc monastery, Budaszentlőrinc]. A PÁlos Rend ÉpÍTÉszeti EmlÉkei (in Hungarian). source: Bencze Zoltán – Szekér György: A budaszentlőrinci pálos kolostor
  7. "Pattantyús-Ábrahám, Géza - Paál, László". atelim.com.
  8. Endréné Tóth, ed. (1981). Budapest enciklopédia (in Hungarian). Budapest: Corvina. pp. 485–486.
  9. "Múlt-kor az egykori kolostorról". Múlt-kor (in Hungarian). 14 February 2005.
  10. Bencze, Zoltan (2016). Nagy, Balázs (ed.). The Budapest History Museum and the Rediscovery of Medieval Buda. Medieval Buda in Context. Leiden: Brill. p. 32. ISBN 978-90-04-30768-1.

Further reading
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