DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 Doctoral Dissertation PRIVATE MONASTERIES OF MEDIEVAL HUNGARY (ELEVENTH TO FOURTEENTH CENTURIES): A CASE STUDY OF THE ÁKOS KINDRED AND ITS MONASTERIES By PÉTER LEVENTE SZŐCS Supervisor: Dr. JÓZSEF LASZLOVSZKY, PhD, CSc Dr. BÉLA ZSOLT SZAKÁCS, PhD, CSc Submitted to the Medieval Studies Department, and the Doctoral School of History Central European University, Budapest in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Medieval Studies, and CEU eTD Collection for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Budapest 2014 CEU eTD Collection DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 DOI: DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. PRIVATE PATRONAGE OF MONASTERIES IN MEDIEVAL HUNGARY: HISTORIOGRAPHY, PROBLEMS AND RESEARCH METHODS Noble kindreds and their monasteries in historical research Ecclesiastical history: The issue of private patronage Art history and archaeology Conclusions and open questions CHAPTER II. PATTERNS OF PRIVATE PATRONAGE OVER MONASTERIES The results and limitations of general surveys Types of patronage Affiliation, chronology, spatial distribution and the patron kindreds CHAPTER III. PRIVATE MONASTERIES IN THE ECCLESIASTICAL AND SOCIAL- ECONOMICAL TOPOGRAPHY The results and limitations of regional topographic surveys Monasteries and parishes: A comparative overview of cases from Bihar, Szabolcs and Szatmár Counties Monasteries in the socio-economic topography: Centers, residences, estates CEU eTD Collection CHAPTER IV. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS OF PRIVATE MONASTERIES: PROPERTY OR PROPRIETOR Properties endowed to monasteries Conflicts with patrons Property or proprietor? DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 CHAPTER V. THE ÁKOS KINDRED: GENEALOGY, POSSESSIONS AND MONASTIC FOUNDATIONS The Ákos kindred in the historical literature The early history of the kindred History and legitimation. The Ákos kindred and the memory of the past The branches of the Ákos kindred: Genealogy and possessions until 1300 Monastic foundations of the Ákos kindred CHAPTER VI. THE MONASTERY CHURCH OF ÁKOS: AN ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Previous research on the abbey church of Ákos Building history and the 1896-1902 restoration Archaeological research at the Abbey Church of Ákos Architectural analysis of the church . The eastern arrangement . The western gallery Conclusions: Ground plan arrangement, spatial disposition and functions CONCLUSIONS ABBREVIATIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX ILLUSTRATIONS CEU eTD Collection DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express here, my gratitude to my supervisors, József Laszlovszky and Béla Zsolt Szakács, for their help and support. I appreciate that they did not lose hope that this work would be finished at last. I also would like to thank to Judith Rasson for her valuable assistance and for correcting my interminable language mistakes. My fellow PhD student, László Ferenci, helped me with language issues and with useful comments. Other members of the faculty and staff of the Medieval Studies Department at CEU – especially Csilla Dobos and Annabella Pál – provided continuous encouragements and support, beyond their duties, thanks for all of them. In addition, I would like to thank my collegues from the County Museum of Satu Mare and the Jósa András Museum in Nyíregyháza for the support and encouragement. Eszter Istvánovits especially urged me regularly to continue this work and not to give up. Last but not least, I would like to thank to all my friends and my family who endured all the hectic periods of the more than a decade-long thesis-writing process. CEU eTD Collection v DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 First military survey-map of Transylvania, Col. XXVII, sect. 4. – Section with Ákos/Acâș - Institute of Military History, Budapest Fig. 2 Third military survey-map of Hungary, 4969/4. Institute of Military History, Budapest Fig. 3 Ákos, Calvinist Church, former Abbey. Southern view Fig. 4 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Eastern view Fig. 5 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Western façade Fig. 6 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Northern façade Fig. 7 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Detail with the decorations of the southern tower: row of blind arches and twin windows Fig. 8 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Southern Portal Fig. 9 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Interior, view to the east Fig. 10 Ákos, Calvinist Church. The southern side apse and view toward the main apse Fig. 11 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Western gallery Fig. 12 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Stairs to the western gallery Fig. 13 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Niche of the altar from the south side apse (research on the masonry by L. Kiss) Fig. 14 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Stone frame of the altar niche from the south side apse (research on the masonry by L. Kiss) Fig. 15 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Carved-stone capital of the pillars (research on the masonry by L. Kiss) Fig. 16 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Northeastern view, before restoration. Forster Center, Budapest, Photo-Archive, 128246 Fig. 17 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Western view, before restoration. Forster Center, Budapest, Photo-Archive, 128255 Fig. 18 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Northern view, before restoration. Forster Center, Budapest, Photo-Archive, 128257 Fig. 19 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Eastern view, before restoration. Forster Center, Budapest, Photo-Archive, 145058 Fig. 20 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Interio, before restoration. View toward the Western CEU eTD Collection Gallery, Forster Center, Budapest, Photo-Archive, 145058 Fig. 21 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Sketch made by Rómer and Henszlmann. Forster Center, Budapest, Draft-Archive, 13198 Fig. 22 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Sketch made by Rómer and Henszlmann. Forster Center, Budapest, Draft-Archive, 13197 Fig. 23 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Sketch made by Schulek on the sanctuary. Forster Center, Budapest, Draft-Archive, 11792 (cross-section, ground-plan on the level of the oratory) Fig. 24 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Sketch made by Schulek of the sanctuary. Forster Center, vi DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 Budapest, Draft-Archive, 11792 (longitudinal-section, ground-plan) Fig. 25 Ground plan of the church – measurements and design by T. Emődi, Restitutor Proiect SRL for County Museum Satu Mare Fig. 26 Longitudinal section of the church – measurements and design by T. Emődi, Restitutor Proiect SRL for County Museum Satu Mare Fig. 27 Cross-section of the church – measurements and design by T. Emődi, Restitutor Proiect SRL for County Museum Satu Mare Fig. 28 Southern façade of the church, phases of masonry marked with colors – measurements and design made by T. Emődi, Restitutor Proiect SRL for County Museum Satu Mare Fig. 29 Northern façade of the church, phases of masonry marked with colors – measurements and design by T. Emődi, Restitutor Proiect SRL for County Museum Satu Mare Fig. 30 Eastern façade of the church, phases of masonry marked with colors – measurements and design by T. Emődi, Restitutor Proiect SRL for County Museum Satu Mare Fig. 31 Southern façade of the church, phases of masonry marked with colors – measurements and design by T. Emődi, Restitutor Proiect SRL for County Museum Satu Mare Fig. 32 Ground plan and the archaeological sections Fig. 33 The ground plan of the discovered foundation of the northeastern chapel – trench no. IV Fig. 34 The ground plan of trench CI, inside of the church Fig. 35 Trench IV/A. Western Section Fig. 36 Trench CI. Southern Section Fig. 37 Trench IV/A. The foundations of the church and the side-chapel Fig. 38 Trench IV. Southern section Fig. 39 Trench CI in the interior, overview with the foundations Fig. 40 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Trench VII. Eastern section – with the shape of the ditch which enclosed the medieval complex Fig. 41 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Trench VII. The ditch which enclosed the medieval complex Fig. 42 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Grave no. 15. Fig. 43 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Grave no. 57 and 58. Fig. 44 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Bronz crucifix from grave no. 3. Fig. 45 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Silver crucifix from grave no. 3. Fig. 46 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Pearls from grave no. 3. CEU eTD Collection Fig. 47 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Coin from grave no. 18. Fig. 48 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Lock-rings from grave no. 17. Fig. 49 Ákos, Calvinist Church. Hairpin from grave no. 29. Fig. 5ö Map with Ákos and the estate of the Ákos kindred along the Kraszna River, Közép Szolnok County, map after Pál Engel Fig. 51 The block of the estates of the Ákos kindred along the Berettyó River, Bihar County, map after Jakó 1940 vii DOI: 10.14754/CEU.2014.05 Fig. 52 Map with the monasteries, parishes and estates along the Berettyó River, Bihar County, map after Pál Engel (red dots: parishes mentioned in the papal tithe-list; green dots: monasteries) Fig. 53 Map with the monasteries, parishes and estates in Szatmár County, map after Pál Engel (red dots: parishes mentioned in the papal tithe-list; green dots: monasteries) Fig. 54 Map with the monastery of (Nyír-)Adony, and the surrounding estates in Szabolcs County, map after Pál Engel (red dot: the only parish mentioned in the region in papal tithe-list) Fig. 55 Map with Ákosmonostora and the estate of the Ákos kindred along the Galga River, Pest County, map after Pál Engel Fig. 56 Ground plan of the monastery of Aracs, after Stanojev 2012 Fig. 57 Ground plan of the church-ruin at Herpály, after Módy 1979 Fig. 58 Ground plan of the abbey church of Harina, after Gerevich 1938 Fig. 59 Ground plan of the abbey church of (Monostoros-)Pályi, after Rácz 1984 Fig. 60 Ground plan of the abbey and the parish church of Beszterec, after Németh 1997 Fig. 61 Ground plan of the earthen castle of Beszterec, after Németh 1997 Fig. 62 Ground plan of the monastery of Sárvár, after Magyar 1984 Fig. 63 Ground plan of the Provostry of (Nyír-)Adony, after Németh 1997 Fig. 64 Ground plan of the parish church of (Nyír-)Adony, after Németh 1997 Fig. 65 Ground plan of the monastery of Bodrog-Bű, after Magyar 2000 Fig.