Monastery

The monastery of Almádi was devoted to the Blessed Holy Virgin and All Saints, and was established in 1117 by a nobleman Atyusz. The ruins of the monastery are situated south-east from Monostorapáti, though the foundation charter of the monastery dates back to 1121.  It is one of the first examples of private monasteries, which means that it was founded not by the king or the archbishop, but by a nobleman; this was not a common practice before the 12th century. The Romanesque church and the correlated buildings were built in the 12th century. From the 13th century the complex flourished serving as a locacredibilia because it was close to Via Magna – an ancient Roman main road. In 1441 the captain of Szigliget Castle looted the monastery and for that reason was later excommunicated. By 1508, the Benedictine visitatio reported that the abbot was a drunkard, and the place was falling apart. The complex was between 1528 and 1542 and was demolished because the fortifications of the Nagyvázsony castle needed to be strong, to halt the Turkish invasion. Nowadays there are ongoing excavations at the site, and the ruin is surrounded by forest.