Folia archeologica 22.

Zsuzsa S. Lovag: Byzantine Type Reliquary Pectoral Crosses in the Hungarian National Museum

I 44 ZS. S. LOVAG only that of their latest use. This points to the fact that the earlier developed and widespread types were used in Hungary during the eleventh century/'

3 There are several opinions as for the appearence of the crosses found in Hungary. It was brought into connection with the Crusades passing through Hungary

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4 and the Greek orthodox monasteries.

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5 M. Bárány-Oberschall deals in her often quoted study also with the diffusion of the crosses in Hungary. The first group of the pectoral crosses, determined by her on typological basis, contains the Holy Land type crosses of the Ntiaonal Museum. Bárány-Oberschall gives the reign of St. Ladislas as the upper limit of their occurrence. She brings their appearence in connection with the well-known historical relation between the Byzantine empire and Hungary, with the Byzantine rite Christianity to which Gyula, Bulcsu and Ajtony belonged and with the Greek mission.

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0 Though these factors are, naturally, not to be neglected, we have to point to the fact that the spread of the reliquaries is a general phenomena not to be restricted to the events of Hungarian history. In his article dealing with the Belgrad crosses Radojcic points out that the examples found in the Danube region do not differ from those coming to light in the Balkans in theMediterranean and other territories of Europe and considers the views of Bárány-Oberschall to be too Hungarian-centred.

37 In our opinion it is better to connect the crosses found in Hungary with the pilgrim routes crossing Europe. Compiling the data about the most important pilgrimages passing through Hungary in the time of St. Stephen, Albin Balogh quotes Rodulphus Glaber, monk of Dijon, mentioning that in this time almost all pilgrimages from Italy and France were led through Hungary, disregarding the maritime way used until then.

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8 This fact seems to be connected with the defeat of the Bulgarian empire which enabled the passing of her and with the Hungarian situation consolidated by then. We have, nevertheless, to consider as well that St. Stephen's mission was not restricted to the organization of the Church in Hungary ; he put his country in touch with the Christian culture of Europe, with its spiritual and religious life. The pilgrim movement, supported also by St. Stephen, was a very characteristical feature of the religious life of this period. The pilgrims passing through Hungary were welcomed by the King who founded cloisters and pilgrim hostels in Rome and Ravenna as well. Flungarian pilgrims visited the Holy Land in all probability; in the two legends of St. Stephen and in that by Hartwick there is a mention of pilgrim hostels in Constantinople and Jerusalem.

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3 Charactcristical to this phenomena is the occurrence of a cross, quite closely related to the Vésztő one, which is dated by silver coins of St. Ladislas, in a cementery of Nis (JagodinaMala), used until the end of the 7th century: Nagy, T., FA 1-2 (1939) 227-228. 3

4 Gerevicb, Г., Magyarország románkori emlékei. (Budapest, 1938) 200. 3

5 Váfia, Z., Mad'ari a Slované ve svetle archeologickych nálezu X-XII. stoleti. SA 2 (1954) 60.; Quoted by S^öke, В., A honfoglaló és kora Árpád-kori magyarság régészeti emlékei. Rég. Tan. I. (Budapest, 1962) 62. 3

6 Bárány-Oberschall, M., op. cit. 209-210. 3

7 KadojC-ic, S., op. cit. 134. 3

8 História Francorum III. MGHSs VII. 62.; Balogh, A., Szent István egyházi kapcsolatai Csehországgal, Németországgal, Franciaországgal és Belgiummal. SzIE 1. (Budapest, 1938) 463-464. 3

9 HHFD I. 5, 20, 49-50. - Quoted by L-nttor, F., Szent István egyházi kapcsolatai Rómával, Montecassinóval, Ravennával, Velencével, Jeruzsálemmel és Bizánccal. SzIE 1. (Budapest, 1938) 442-445.