Egy nap Pannonhalmán

The present building is the abbey's third church, and it incorporates the remains of previous ones. The consecration of the first building dates to the Deed of Gift issued by King Stephen I. of Hungary in 1002.

Most of what can currently be seen of St. Martin's Basilica in Pannonhalma was built in the early 13th century in the Gothic style under the direction of Abbot Uros (1207-1243). However, according to the latest archaeological research it also includes the wall remains of earlier buildings. It was probably consecrated in 1224.

Preparations to restore the building to something closer to the original Gothic church began in 1996. The monks hired a British architect, John Pawson, to plan the work.

The interior of the church was renovated on the basis of the British architect's designs to provide a suitable space for the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council.

The library has been an important part of the monastery since it was founded. According to an instrument from around 1090, close to 80 volumes of codices were registered at Pannonhalma by the end of the 11th century.

The collection consisted of over 4000 volumes when the monastery was closed in 1786.

The Archive is as old as the monastery itself. In addition to three documents issued by Ladislaus I of Hungary, the earliest document in the Hungarian language, the Establishing charter of the Abbey of Tihany issued in 1055, as well as the first Hungarian papal document, the papal bull of Pope Paschal II issued in 1102, are kept here.

The Porta Speciosa was constructed in the 13th century to replace an earlier entrance in the southern side-aisle of the church, the only example to have survived intact in Hungary.The gate leads into the church from the cloister corridor (quadrum).

The cloister is one of the centres of life in the monastery from which most of the important community spaces can be entered, and it is where the monks gather for the liturgy, entering the basilica through the Porta Speciosa for the chant, the mass and processions, which were held here in the Middle Ages as well.

The internal garden surrounded by the cloister was once known as the paradise garden (Paradisum) and it was stocked with herbs. The water reservoir remains in the middle to this day.

Seven millennium memorials were built for the 1000th anniversary of “The Conquest of our Homeland” (Honfoglalás), in memory of the seven Hungarian tribes. One of these memorials is to be found at Pannonhalma.

Originally, the chapel was the parish church for the non Hungarian-speaking people living around the abbey.

The single-aisle church has a North-South orientation, and its northern facade is closed by a triangular gable. The wooden ridge turret accommodating the bell was constructed above this. A small sacristy is connected to the chancel from the East.

The history of the arboretum reaches back to the times when the abbey was established, so it is the oldest known historical Hungarian garden.

The monks of bygone eras grew and collected medicinal plants with great care.

Several recipes from Benedictine pharmacists living in Pannonhalma in the 17th and 18th centuries have been preserved that can still be used to produce a variety of medicinal products.

Built in 2018, the Foliage Educational Path is one of the most recent curiosities at the Abbey of Pannonhalma. The educational path is located in the Nature Conservation area of Pannonhalma. One special characteristic of the path, which leads to a look-out point, is that it forms a fish which is the symbol of Christianity.