Monastery

Saint Maurice Monastery

Monasteries have always been meeting points in history. They are special points in physical and virtual space, where nature and history, creativity and grace, suffering and joy, man and man, or man and God could meet.

The monastery of Bakonybél also symbolizes persistency. Through all the trials and tribulations of Hungarian history, monks kept coming back to this holy ground to build the kingdom of God on this Earth. They do it by walking on the path of Christ obeying the Gospel and the Rule of Saint Benedict, through prayer, brotherhood, and work. The garden, symbol of the lost Paradise that we gained back through Christ, helps us to remember the possibility of rebirth and renewal.

We hope we can meet you in person soon: we can pray together during one of our services, we can share with you the beauties of our garden, or the beauties of everyday work. Visit us either for a few hours of rest, or even for a longer period of time staying in our guest hose.

Church

The church of the monastery was built in the 1750s. We do not have much knowledge about the medieval building. What we know is that in 1696, after the Turkish invasion, monks only found the ruins of the church building and parts of the original altar. Other archeological findings are form 1902, when builders found pieces of the original floor and remains of grave stones.

The church building that visitors can see now was first finished in 1754. It has one high altar and two side altars. On the picture of the high altar, painted by Ignác Polinger, you can see King Stephen with his wife as they offer the monastery in the protection of Saint Maurice. Saint Maurice and his martyr companions stand on a cloud as an endless crowd, giving the picture a perspective depth. If we look further up, we can see a portrayal of the Holy Trinity, as they crown the Virgin Mary. The high altar is also decorated with the statues of Hungarian Saints: Saint Emeric and Saint Ladislaus, as well as the smaller statues of the four Evangelists.

One of the side altars is dedicated to Virgin Mary. Although the picture of the altar, titled: the Immaculate, is known to be the work of Ignác Polinger as well, because of style differences it is more probable that the picture was painted by an artist unknown for us. There are also doubts about the painter of the picture of the other side altar, dedicated to Saint Benedict. Other objects worth to see for visitors in the church building are the ambo, the painting of the Hungarian holy family and Saint Gerhard, moreover, the picture of S. Dorfmeister about the Holy Family.

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Gardens

Historic Garden

The park, founded in the 19th century, was imagined in the style of English gardens by a Benedictine monk, Fábián Szeder. Although the storms of Hungarian history brought damage to the garden, it could still preserve its integrity and the typical flora of Bakony Mountains. The 4 acre park has been under the protection of the Charta of Florence about Historic Gardens since 1981. In 2013 it was completely renovated with new walking routs and information boards, so it could be open again for visitors as well.

Garden of Herbs

1 acre of the monastery garden has been dedicated to grow herbs. It is an ecological garden supervised by Biokontroll Hungary. With the help of information boards or guided tours, tourists can observe about 20 different kinds of herbs. They can get to know harvesting and drying techniques as well.

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Bookbinding workshop

Small workshops are important parts of the Benedictine monastery, since they make it possible for monks to produce and sell items in order to maintain themselves. One workshop, open for visitors in guided tours, is the bookbinding workshop. In the workroom we can see the material and tools of a traditional bookbinder. He can also show the birth of a book with different techniques of binding. Organized groups can also take part in a book binding handicraft workshop, where they can bind their own notebooks.

Guest House

Saint Benedict says that monks should welcome guests as if they were Christ himself. Our monastery offers several possibilities for guests in 2 different houses so that they could find the accommodation fitting their purposes. Religious conferences, camps, spiritual practices can be held in our bigger guest house, named after Saint Gunther, where there are 7 bedrooms for two with a shower, as well as a big conference room and a small kitchen.
The monastery also welcomes volunteer workers in its garden from March to October, who can join the Benedictine spiritual life, and get a free meal and accommodation in return to 7 hours of work a day.

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