In the beginning of September we went on a one-day trip again. This time we visited Zsámbék, a nice and quiet little town about half an hour by car from Budapest to west. Nice as I say, because the streets were clean, the people were nice [not like in Veszprém…] and there was only a small area what you must avoid because of some people if you listen to me… but we no need to go there anyhow because what we are looking for is up on the hillside about 15 minutes from the bus-stop on foot, a gorgeous Medieval monastery ruins
The story/or calvary of the Premonstratensian monastery [basilica + cloister]
In 1050 there was only a simple stone temple, what had been amplified in the later centuries. Margaret of France [daughter of Louis VII of France from House of Capet] got married to King Béla III of Hungary and with this she had been his second wife. She came into the country with her attendant, a French-born noble 'Ainordi de Champagne' or knight Aynard. The King granted the village of Zsámbék to him. Later Aynards's descendants started to build a basilica in late Romanesque style and the cloister as well somewhen between 1220 and 1234.
But around 1241 our 'invaders no.1', the tatars broke into our country and slaughtered half of the country under one year so our almost 300 years old beautiful blooming country lied in ruins… [for the first but not the last time in history] Then when the Hungarian Winter came and the weather turned to cold, what was muddy, freezy and annoying to the tatars, they leaved the country... [?!] or at least this was the first version of their mysterious leaving after a year of slaughtering. The other was that their high and mighty leader, Ögedei Khan [third son of Genghis Khan] just died and the army lost its confidence and went home... [For those who don't understand one thing. Yeah they were the Mongols and their accompanies, but we call them on a collective name, tatárok/tatars.] After they gone, the country slowly started to rebuild itself. [What else we could do…]
So the even more later descendants of Knight Aynard along with King Béla IV's support carried on building and rebuilding the basilica. [Too many Bélas I know… but British people has tonnes of Henrys and Edwards in their history so we are really modest with just four Bélas…] But because of some time had passed and they were no longer in the Romanesque style era but in Gothic, they carried the building and decorating in this new movement. The result had been a unique and gorgeous building. They dedicated the basilica to St. John the Baptist. Why? … I don't know.
On 6 June 1258 King Béla IV affirmed the deed of gift of the basilica and the wealthy [?] Premonstratensian monks moved into the cloister. But not for a long time… because about 100 years later the cloister burned down in a fire...
'Invaders no.2': ottomans/Turks [~Oh Hungarian history is so much fun!] Just like the tatars they came with the same attitude and intent as you know now. So in 1541 they occupied Zsámbék and under the siege the basilica ruined again but before that the ottomans used it as their fortress… no comment.
In 1689 the Zichy family[1] bought the village of Zsámbék and started - trying - to rebuild the monastery.
But after all these centuries the poor basilica finally get the 'coup de gráce' from nature. On 28 June 1763 a big earthquake ruined the basilica again and for good… The villagers leaved the ruins this time and built another - now Baroque – church in the middle of the village. But that church is boring if you ask me. I'm not into Hungarian Baroque architecture much. Another 'yellow church' from the many [and yellow because of the Habsburgs].
Finally in 1870 Flóris Róbert, Benedictine teacher, art historian and Imre Henszlmann, art/monument historian were the firsts who thought that these valued ruins must be saved. So in 1889 Ágoston Trefort, Minister for national education and religion entrusted the architecture István Möller to guide the renovation works…
[1] The Count Zichy family of Zics and Vázsonykő [today Nagyvázsony] is an age-old Hungarian aristocratic family, whom still lives today. They are one of the ascendant and welthiest Hungarian family.
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In our times not only tourists, families, travellers visit this place, but of course goth people as well. I found this basilica on many goth blogs as a 'must visit' place. Unfortunately a popular outlandish gothic portal made a tiny mistake entitle the basilica as a '800 years old Baroque church'… There are minimum two mistakes in this short sentence if not three but nevermind… looks like today the stupidness is the new cleverness so the hell with accuracy!
This place is everything what we dark souls appreciate, eh? So inspiring indeed. If you visit on a November day, when fog is everywhere, you can enjoy the basilica in a spooky aspect.
The very old caretaker just told me that many people like to make their wedding pictures here, but sometimes they come these strange black dressed people [just like me too, but he doesn't want to hurt me with this], but not only for a visit but they also like to hold their wedding photoshootings here but in black clothes and strange make up… /Quel surprise…/ Then he politely asked me what is with this outfit? ... Poor thing, better him to not know… Anyway if I told I would have to eat him.
The only thing what can be annoying is that you can rearly be alone there. This time I had to wait amost an hour to take normal photos because first there was a big bus of tourists, then it came a wedding group to take some pictures… and they were really noisy and uncultured so with this attitude they could take their photos anywhere, before a plaza or anything…
So this is the place where everyone can find what wants, you can chill, you can meditate, feel the history, wait for the little green fellows, watch the butterflies, feel the energy of the Earth or whatever want you to feel you will find there for sure… as for me I made some sketches into my new notebook… Don't say a word…
I like white nail polish nowadays. Maybe white is the new black for me...
Let's play with the Ps a little
Listen Dargaard's beautiful songs as background music. I was listening these old favourites while I was there, still love to listen them. Sadly the band vanished into the thin air years ago… Pity.
