Haris Andrea szerk.: Koldulórendi építészet a középkori Magyarországon Tanulmányok (Művészettörténet - műemlékvédelem 7. Országos Műemlékvédelmi Hivatal,)

Nagy Emese: Az ozorai obszerváns ferences kolostor

the original plan. At the south-eastern corner of the monastery, and further to the south, there were rooms taking up the entire width of the south wing. At the time of the reconstruction another room was added to the south wing in the southern direction. Studying the excavated sections of the monastery of Ozora we can conclude that, regarding its main features, the building follows the architectural arrangement generally seen at mediaeval Franciscan Monasteries. The only major difference is the application of the double row of cells. At the time of the first publication of the results of the excavation, we considered the possibility of regarding the double row of cellars as a typical feature of Observant Franciscan Monasteries in the Middle Ages. This was confirmed by the fact that the monasteries found to have double rows of cells Gyula, Szeged and Okolicsnó (Okolicné), the latter partially reconstructed subsequently - were built to be used by the strictest branch of the Franciscan Order. The results of the excavations carried out since then, together with the study of regulations of the Observant Order seem to provide further confirmation of our original assumption. Small cells, similar to those found at Ozora, were uncovered at the excavation of the Observant Monastery of Hedrehely; also, from studying later information, the same arrangement can perhaps be hypothesized in the case of the Monastery of Gyöngyös; by 1465 this monastery had definitely been in the possession of the Observant Order, although whether it had actually been founded by the Observants is far from certain. The double row of cells is missing from those Observant Monasteries which were built by the Marians and went into the possession of the Observants subsequently (for example, Szécsény). Quite probably, the building of small cells arranged in a double row directly followed from the strict Observant regulations with their emphasis on poverty and simplicity. The construction of unnecessarily large buildings was prohibited to the Observants, who claimed that "the temptation to move into churches and monasteries which are in contrast with their vowed poverty should be resisted". In the course of the construction there were rigorous checks to prevent any transgression of the norms they set for themselves. It seems rather obvious that the decision to build uncomfortable and small cells was connected to the monks' strict vow of poverty: the size of the cells was such that they accommodated nothing more than a bed, but that was wholly appropriate, since the regulations allowed the monks no private possession whatsoever. The regulations even laid down the maximum of clothing which a monk was permitted to keep. At the same time, the regulations also indicated that the cells played an important part in the life of the monks. On the basis of what has been said so far, we maintain our proposition that the tiny cells discovered in the Monastery of Ozora are a typical feature of the mediaeval Monasteries of the Observants. It will be the task of future archaeological research to decide whether or not our proposition founded on a limited number of evidence generally holds true. Illustrations 1. The excavated remains of the Franciscan Monastery of Ozora 2. The plan of the Franciscan Monastery of Okolicsnó (Okolicné)