On 23^rd May, Mar Awa III, the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East visited Pannonhalma. The delegation headed by him met Archabbot Hortobágyi T. Cirill and Archabbot Emeritus Várszegi Asztrik, the pupils of the secondary school, and had a look at the riches of the Library and the Archives in the afternoon. In the museum, they surveyed Ruzsa György’s collection of metal icons being deposited here in May 2021.

On 22^nd and 23^rd May, the 8^th Scriptorium-Conference was held in Saint Adalbert Event Center, Esztergom. The conference-series concentrates on manuscripts, especially ecclesiastical manuscripts. The programme’s reports discussed some aspects of manuscripts (codices, autograph works, autograph devotional literature, autograph hymnals, notes in works – mainly in incunabula or old prints – kept in library collections, marginal comments, and the presentation of the manuscript stacks of some collections, etc.).

On 20^th May, Robert Palladino, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America to Hungary visited Pannonhalma.

He saw the sights of the Basilica of Saint Martin, the cloister, the treasury, the riches of the Library and the Archives, and among other items, he had a look at the letters addressed to the Archabbot by the Hungarian monks, who – in the period of the party-state – emigrated to the United States and founded a priory and a school there. These documents were kept hidden in our Archives until the change of regime.

On 11^th April, in the monastery’s impressive reception hall, we had a roundtable talk on patronage. The participants were the decisive agents of our country’s economic and cultural life sponsoring the Archabbey of Pannonhalma for years. Apelso Trust Zrt supporting the restoration of the archival documents was represented by Antall György and Kállay András, members of the board of directors.

On 21st March, the feast of Saint Benedict, an agreement of scholarly collaboration was signed on behalf of Eötvös Loránd University and the Archabbey of Pannonhalma. Based on the document signed by Borhy László, Rector and Archabbot Hortobágyi T. Cirill, among other things, the monastery’s scientific collection of the 19^th century can be arranged and published, and collaboration can be developed in the fields of astronomical research and teacher training.

Between 17^th and 20^th March, the Austrian Bishops’ Conference held their plenary meeting in the Archabbey of Pannonhalma. The main subjects under discussion included the continuation of the synodal process in Austria in addition to the present social and ecclesiastical situation in Austria. The bishops had a discussion with Archabbot Hortobágyi T. Cirill and they met the representatives of the ecclesiastical, social and cultural life in Hungary.

The finals of the 24^th Cultura Nostra History Competition in the Carpathian Basin was organised in the Archabbey on 14^th March. This year, the theme of the contest organised by the Rákóczi Association and the Archabbey of Pannonhalma was Hungary’s history between 1301 and 1526. Seven hundred secondary-school pupils of the Carpathian Basin took part in the competition. In the finals, the ten teams of the best results tested their knowledge; the team of Lévay József Református Gimnázium from Miskolc had the best of it.

On 7^th March, led by Archabbot Asztrik, Benedictine and lay colleagues (our archivists among them) visited the remains of the mediaeval buildings excavated on the Bolt-peak of Abasár. The ruins of the Benedictine abbey that once served as the burial place of our King Aba Sámuel and the archaeological findings were introduced to us by the archaeologists: Feld István, Csornay Boldizsár, Ringer István and Horváth Ciprián.

Within the framework of the multidisciplinary research programme entitled “Kings, Saints, Monasteries”, archaeological research was conducted in Tihany, Bakonybél and Pannonhalma between 2021 and 2023. The work was in progress under the auspices of the superiors of the monastic communities.

“Kings, Saints, Monasteries – Early Benedictine Universe in Hungary in the Light of the Latest Academic Research”; this is the title of the exhibition opened in Pannonhalma on 14 February. Following Archabbot Emeritus Várszegi Asztrik’s welcoming words, Balogh Balázs, the Director General of HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities gave an inaugural address.