Szatmári Imre: Békés megye középkori templomai (Békéscsaba, 2005)

156 Treating and evaluating the topic seducing by considerable outlooks set two aims, with regard to the almost unlimited scope of the topic: on one hand colection of all historical and archaeological data as to the mediaeval ecclesiastical sacred bmldings and the closely related graveyards in the geographically precisely specified area of the Great Plain, on the other hand arrangement and analysis of the materials gained in this way aiming at conclusions on the age itself, as well as the transition from mediaeval to modern history and from archaeology to ethnography. The selected geographic area of the topic emerged as an evidence, since in the recent half century, a period bringing the most important outcomes in this field, the present countysystem determined and determines today also the space limits of any archaeological studies outside the capital, at the same time the changes in the mediaeval counties' regions during the passed thousand years rendered impossible in advance to circumscribe precisely each geographic area. A thorough synthesis of the topic extending to all details was justified by the fact that studies of the ecclesiastical buildings anci the graveyards around church, two large scopes relating to researches in mediaeval Hungarian settlements, were always provided with key role in the course of research-history. Taking the significance of the settlements' more important sacred buildings and the ethnography of graveyards into consideration, this is justifiable, however, treating and publishing the outcomes of each excavation fall far behind what may be expected. In addition to old accounts on findings not classified or destroyed, or lost, in World War II, consequently need to be attested and particularly completed, unpublished (in some lucky cases accessible or absolutely inaccessiMediaeval Churches in Békés County ble) and scattered data of sporadic explorations realised in the passed decades were available. Even the archaeological topographic researches carried out without interruption in Békés County since 1960s haven't, and regarding the aim and feature of the work couldn't, brought synthetic outcomes. However, most of the time thanks to personal involvement of certain researchers, in the neighbouring counties, just like in Békés County, more and more mediaeval ecclesiastical buildings and graveyards were explored, and e.g. regarding Pest County even summarising monographs have come to light. Researches conducted in Pest, Bács-Kiskun, Csongrád and Hajdú-Bihar Counties can be adapted well to the outcomes accumulating in Békés County, therefore elaboration of the targeted topic may contribute to a wider scope of synthesis of the data scattered on account of the existing division of the counties. Furthermore, collecting, surveying in their complexity, and evaluating the available data may extend the future researches into two directions. On one hand, retrospectively, they help understand the process of conversion to Christianity and using graveyards around the church replacing the so-called public graveyards, spreading and becoming exclusive after the Hungarian conquest and incursions into West-Europe. On the other hand, prospectively, they provide data helping interpret the outcomes belonging to the sphere of ethnography. That the research-history of the topic goes back to more than a century made easier the considerations as to circumscribing the target and the theme. Apart from their shortcomings, the old data, with appropriate criticism, can be used up till now, and Békés County has got even the special advantage of that during the recent two-three decades consider-