Mezősiné Kozák Éva: A vértesszentkereszti apátság (Művészettörténet - műemlékvédelem 5. Országos Műemlékvédelmi Hivatal, 1993)

Angol nyelvű összefoglaló

predium next to the church. From the charter we get to know about the title of the church which was dedicated to the honour of the Holy Cross. The place next to the Holy Cross, the Vértes forest and Ecsér country remained a common estate even after the death of Miklós I, in 1239. Bearing in mind and fostering the family ties was of high priority in the first decades of the 13th century, too. The first third of the 13th century saw the golden age of the abbey. On the free-standing part of the prominent hill-top, to the south from the group of building of the abbey, was built the orientated Romanesque style church with three aisles and a basilican system. During its construction they must have counted with the adding of a new cloister, as well, because its place was pointed out in such a way that the eastern tractus could be put on the area between the two churches according to the rules of the Benedectine order. The cloister's northern outer wall falls in line with the outer wall of the chapel of the 12th century church. Surely, the constructions must have taken place according to precise plans. The inner space of the church was divided to three aisles by three pairs of pillars, and on the eastern side the longitudinal nave is extended by a transept. The chief choir got a unique shaping as from the sanctuary bay, a bigger semicircular, and on the northern and southern sides, respectively a lower height semicircle projected. It can be assumed that the tower rose over the transept. On the ground-plan the application of a net-system for measuring quadratic proportion can be suspected where the proportion of the nave and the side-aisles was 2:1. The width of the main nave, and the characteristic spatial proportion of the church were given, so there opened a chance for the exposition of the main parts of the building. The building-material of the church is yellowish colour hard lime-stone. The basement was built of small stones, the rising walls with ashlar-facing. In forming the inner vaults, even bricks were used in groined vaults building. In addition to the carved hard lime-stone details of the church, the effect was enhanced by the application of red marble elements in the gates, and the floor, etc. The title of the church 'Holy Cross' may be related with the cross relic. The cross title can be seen in the ground-plan of the church, as well. A close analogy may be drawn with the Kalocsa cathedral II, to which it stands near regarding not only its ground-plan, but also its detail-work. Though it should be noted that the choir ot the Kalocsa cathedral II is more complicated as for its ambulatory with the ring of chapels. Searching for analogies abroad, we can find only similar solutions. During the holy wars the influence of the Byzantine, Syrian, Armenian central architecture can be traced in Italy and France. There are French analogies in the territory of Aquitania among the constructions of the Perigor-school, as for the German material, the Cologne St. Apostel, St. Maria in Kapitol, Gross St. Martin from the 12th century. The Vértes church both in its ground-plan and in its build-up differs from the domestic Benedectine architectural practice. In addition to the unique choir solution, the application of the transept on the eastern side, the semicircular apses of which don't coincide with the axis of the side-aisles. The tower or the towers rose from the east, the western tower-pair and the manorial choirs were eliminated, but in the side aisles side choirs were built in the north and south, respectively. The church shows signs of rejuvenation proceeding from the east to the west, and upwards from bellow. In its architectural execution and detail-work several dualities can be observed. The church choir is outdated, the inner spatial covering shows a more developed early Gothic character. The figurai capitals with acanthus the animal-shaped friezes, the lion-statues at the entrance, would attach the church to an earlier circle. The