Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment, Hungary

The monastery is the main feature of the World Heritage site, the Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment, which was granted its prestigious World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1996.

The history of the monastery stretches back more than a thousand years, to when it was founded by Géza, the Grand Prince of the Hungarians at that time, who invited Benedictine monks to settle on the hill overlooking the town. 

Since it was established, in 996, the monastery has functioned as an outstanding spiritual and cultural centre, and has managed to maintain continuity throughout some stormy periods in Hungarian history.

One such period was during the Turkish occupation of Hungary in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, when the monks were forced to flee the monastery on several occasions.

The monastery suffered again when the order of monks was broken up by Joseph II, the Holy Roman Emperor and sole ruler of the Habsburgs in the late 1700’s.

Having reorganised themselves in 1802, the Emperor tasked them with taking an active part in education. The abbey’s boarding school is still in use to this day. 

As part of its centuries-long cultural mission, the order has now amassed a rich artistic and scientific collection.

The three-storeyed basilica has a 55-metre tower, which offers splendid views of the natural environment of Pannonhalma. The ornate main portal – or porta speciosa, as it is called in Latin – gives access to the Romanesque cloister, which connects the entrance with the church.

Along with the basilica and the educational buildings, the property also includes the Chapel of Our Lady and the Millenary Monument, which was erected to commemorate the 1000-year anniversary of the Hungarian conquest in 896.

Today, the monastery is home to approximately 40 monks. It has a large vineyard and winery, with traditions stretching back to Roman times when the area was a key wine-producing region of Pannonia province.

In the complex’s forest and botanical gardens are a number of rare and exotic protected floral species, as well as many species of trees and plants, both native and exotic, which the monks use to produce various herbal extracts and essences, and Trappist beer.

The Abbey of Pannonhalma and its environment outstandingly illustrates the characteristic location, landscape connections, original structure, design and history of a Benedictine monastery which has evolved over a thousand years of use.