On 28 September 2023, the tenth conference on diocesan history was organised at the Archiepiscopal College of Veszprém. This time, the talks concentrated on the history of the Bishopric of Veszprém between 1850 and 1917. The conference was one of the series of programmes of the Katolikus Társadalmi Napok (Days of Catholic Society) organised in Veszprém this year.

Accepting the invitation of the Archabbey in Pannonhalma, Patriarch Bartholomew I arrived in Hungary for a six-day visit on 20 September. His visit distinctly concentrated on ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, in addition to promoting peace. He gave the main address of the international ecumenical conference – with the motto “Seek peace and pursue it!” – organised in Pannonhalma on 22 September.

During the summer, with the support of the National Cultural Fund of Hungary, two autograph maps of our collection of maps were conserved. One of them was made in 1799 depicting the forest of Füss in Upper Hungary, and two islands of the Danube (Altering and Scooping islands). The other map of 1822 depicts the forests and pastures of the Abbey in Bakonybél. The conservation was completed by Ars Alba Bt. in Szentendre.

During the Days of Wine-history in Győr, professional discussions were organised by Mathias Corvinus Collegium on Chapter Hill on 25 August. In the last panel, the tradition of vine-growing and viticulture on estates of bishoprics and those of religious orders was recalled by Gábor Nemes (Diocesan Archives, Győr) and Tamás Dénesi (Director, Archives of the Archabbey, Pannonhalma). The discussion of spirit was concluded with an informal exchange of ideas and wine-tasting.

Saint Stephen’s monogram, i.e. the graphic sign concealing his name and title, is known by every educated Hungarian person. Seeing the monogram, first the disc-cover of the Szörényi-Bródy rock opera is always in the minds of the elder generations. However, undoubtedly fewer people know that the king’s monogram has been preserved for us on the letters-patent of Pannonhalma. As a matter of fact, the earliest chart in Latin in Hungary is Saint Stephen’s only letters-patent still extant in its original form. Its form is original, but it is not original.

In Bakonybél, the archaeological excavation started last year was resumed in the first half of the summer. The most important result of the excavation directed by Szabolcs Balázs Nagy – lecturer, Institute of Archaeology, Eötvös Loránd University – is that it was the first time that the location and remains of the mediaeval monastery were successfully and clearly identified. The former cloister was found to the south of the present monastery.

In the Pannonhalma letters-patent, Saint Stephen granted the licences of Montre Cassino – Saint Benedict’s abbey in Italy – to the first monastery in Hungary. Due to this, in the past millennium, a manifold relationship was formed between the two monastic communities whose two important documents are a charter of 1180 and another one of 1212. The first document issued by Peter, the Abbot of Cassino recorded the Italian journey of a monk from the community of Abbot Similis of Pannonhalma.

Máté Vincze, Deputy State Secretary for Public Collections and Cultural Development of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation visited Pannonhalma on 27 July. He got acquainted with the treasures, representative rooms and storerooms of our Library, Archives and Museum. His visit also gave occasion to have a talk about our collections’ plans and opportunities of development. The Deputy State Secretary also covers his visit on his social website.

The three great associations of church collections have their annual three-day itinerary congress at the beginning of summer. The Association of Ecclesiastical Libraries, the Association of Hungarian Church Archivists and the Museologists’ Association of Christian Churches held this year’s congress together in Kecskemét. Their last joint itinerary congress was held in Gyulafehérvár in 2009. The programme of 150 participants was hosted by the Kecskemét Reformed Church Congregation’s Library and Archives between 3 and 5 July.

On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of his birth, on 9 June, we – together with the Ambassador of Switzerland accredited to Hungary and the International Committee of the Red Cross – commemorated Friedrich Born, the rescuer of humans. Thanks to the Swiss diplomat, the Archabbey became protected by the International Red Cross in October 1944, thus many thousands of refugees and a hoard of art treasures could tide over those hard times within its walls. Among others, our Archives kept safe the coronation robe for three months.