Abația Igriș | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Cistercians |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1179 |
| Disestablished | 1514[1] |
| Mother house | Pontigny Abbey |
| Dedicated to | Saint Mary[2] |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Béla III of Hungary |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Completion date | 1187 |
| Site | |
| Location | Igriș,Timiș County |
| Country | Romania |
| Coordinates | 46°7′23″N20°44′20″E / 46.12306°N 20.73889°E /46.12306; 20.73889 |
Egres Abbey (Hungarian:Egresi apátság;Romanian:Abația Igriș;French:Abbaye de Hégerieux) was aCistercian monastery in theKingdom of Hungary, located in Egres (present-day Igriș, part of the commune ofSânpetru Mare,Timiș County,Romania). The Egres Abbey was founded byBéla III of Hungary in 1179 as a filial abbey ofPontigny.[3] Here is attested the oldest library in the territory of present-day Romania.
It was founded by KingBéla III of Hungary, who gave it to the Cistercian abbot ofPontigny and his 12 fellow monks in 1179.[3] Its building was completed in 1187.[4] Five Cistercian monasteries are linked to the name of Béla III, the one at Egres being the second built, afterCikádor (Hungary) in 1142.[5] The monastery dedicated to theVirgin Mary was deeply involved in church life in thediocese of Csanád, but also in patrimonial issues of some churches and monasteries in the neighboring areas.[6]
The abbey complex was vast and included the library, the monks' cells, the granary, workshops, the mechanical mill and others.[7]
In 1209, the monks of Egres founded their own filial abbey,Cârța Abbey, inȚara Făgărașului, nearSibiu. Another one was founded in 1266, in thePrincipality of Halych, namely the S. Crucis Galitiae Abbey.[5] From 1214, for a century, the Vérteskeresztúr Abbey in Hungary was a filial of the Egres Abbey too.
The monastery reached its peak during the reign ofAndrew II, son of King Béla III. Probably throughYolanda's intercession, Andrew II got close to the Cistercian community of Egres and offered them, starting in 1224, plentiful royal donations.[8] Also in 1224,Pope Honorius III requested royal protection over the Egres Abbey, which was frequently attacked during that period.[9] The monastery also played an important role within Andrew II's policy of Christianizing theCumans. Andrew II was the only Central European sovereign who initiated acrusade,started in 1217. His reign is also linked to the publication of theGolden Bull, in 1222. Andrew II and Yolanda of Courtenay were buried inside the monastery.[6]
In 1241, with thegreat Mongol invasion, the monastic settlement at Egres, surrounded by fortified walls, was besieged and destroyed, and the church and royal tombs were desecrated. The destruction of the monastery was described by the Italian monkRogerius, canon of thediocese of Nagyvárad, taken prisoner by the Mongols during the siege.[10] The great Mongol invasion forced many families from the surrounding villages to take refuge in the abbey, but the invaders massacred the entire population.[11]
After the Mongol invasion, KingBéla IV returned to the country and began the reconstruction of the regions deserted by the nomads. The Egres Abbey was also repaired, but the works did not have the scale of a complete reconstruction. It was again besieged during the Cuman revolt of 1280, because the royal treasury was kept here. After the intervention of the royal functionary Andreas Bölényfő, the monastery was successfully defended.[12] At the beginning of the 14th century, the monastery still played an important role in the religious life of the kingdom. Thus, in 1309, on the occasion of the election of the bishop of Transylvania, the abbot of Egres supported Benedict, the abbot of theBenedictine order, in winning the title of bishop.[8]
Towards the second half of the 14th century, the Egres Abbey had lost its former importance. By 1357 it had only six monks.[13]: 82 Abbot Martin of Egres, in a letter addressed to the pope on 8 November 1499, showed the decline and material lacks of the monastery.[13]: 85
Starting with 1500, its properties were merged with the diocese of Csanád. Then,Vladislaus II, with the permission of the Parliament and the Pope, gave the abbey and the surrounding lands to BishopMiklós Csáky [hu].[7] One last abbot of the monastery was mentioned in a document in 1527. In 1541, the abbey was just a military observation point where Peter Petrovics, the commander ofTemes County, repaired the walls and set up a garrison.[14]
On 28 September 1551, with the conquest of Cenad,Beylerbey Mehmet also besieged and destroyed the Egres fortification. Because of the danger represented by the potential Ottoman conquest, the local population chose to leave the village and take refuge in other regions of the kingdom.[8]
The abbey would have been located on the site of today's Orthodox church in the village.[7] A 1.5-meter piece of wall, numerous boulders and polished stones with a diameter of 1 meter are still preserved from the old abbey. With materials from the monastery, the locals built their houses or fences. There are also pieces from the abbey in the stairs of the Greek Catholic church in Igriș.[15]
In the library of the abbey there were works by classical authors from Antiquity, such asCicero,Seneca,Suetonius andQuintilian, but also books by medieval authors, includingGregory of Nazianzus,Anselm of Canterbury andIvo of Chartres.[16]
In 1870, archeological excavations were carried out that identified the ruins of the church along a length of 500 feet, traces of walls, pillars and architectural fragments from the vaults of the nave. The crypt of Andrew II, a rectangular brick construction, was discovered by a team of Romanian-Hungarian archeologists in 2019.[8]