Lébény Church, Lébény, Hungary

The Benedictine abbey church of Lébény was built between 1199 and 1203 and is one of the most outstanding and most intact monuments of Hungarian ecclesiastical architecture of the Middle Ages. From an artistic point of view, the elements of plastic art wall decorations are of exceptional value.

The church is a splendid representation of Romanesque architecture. It has three naves with semicircular apses and there are two pyramidal towers on its western façade with a gallery in between. Especially noteworthy are the carved stones decorating the building, like for example the inimitable carved ornaments of the main entrance and the southern side portal.

The abbey survived the Middle Ages without any significant alterations, but in 1478 it burnt down. The monks returned after the catastrophe but when flames consumed the monastery for a second time in 1563, it became abandoned definitely.The uninhabited buildings were given to the Jesuits of Győr, and in 1638 they built the new, vaulted parts of the church. The original medieval vaulting remained unharmed in very few places only, for instance in the lower part of the towers.

The interior was transformed into Baroque during the 18th century. The buildings of the abbey disappeared already in the 19th century, but the church continued to function as a parish church of the village nearby. In the second half of the 19th century the Office of Protection of Historical monuments recognised the special architectural importance of the church and several restorations have taken place since and considerable research by art historians focused on the building.

References:

budapest.com

Religious sites in Hungary

Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Kettlebell Fehérvár (3 years ago)
Little piece of history Nice ambience

Annamária (3 years ago)
One of the oldest churches in Hungary. It was built around the 13th century. It is really special church..

Janos Vida (4 years ago)
Peaceful place vilage with a pretty church

Roman Pluciennik (5 years ago)
a phenomenal stone church located in the St. James road. A quiet place, an unusual atmosphere emanating from this place. It's worth a look, no tourists, sometimes a pilgrim will come here.

Norbert Suri (5 years ago)
Nice temple in a nice little village

Lébény Church

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