Belényesy Károly: Pálos kolostorok az Abaúji-Hegyalján (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén megye régészeti emlékei 3. Miskolc, 2004)

PAULINE FRIARIES IN THE ABAÚJ HEGYALJA REGION

was referred as "curiam Barát - Udvar vocatum". Another example of such economical center may be found at Patacs, in county Baranya, which is "fundus sessionalis qui grangia dicitur". 5 It is beyond doubt that the economy of the communities living on the slopes of Abaúj Region follows secular examples - as it does in the case of other Pauline communities. This form of economy emphasizes the importance of the estates, however, the structure of the estates and the volume of the investments definitely infer that beyond the basic function of providing the community with the necessary goods, there was a general practice of making profit. The other part of the properties is better equipped with data. Among them the most detailed information is available about the mills discussed above. The presence of notable mill properties and the severe efforts of their acquisition indicate that the Pauline monks intervened in the economical life of their environment. Apart from the frequent purchase of mills, this is verified in many instances by the enforcement of such transactions.

266 However, these trends should not be a disturbing factor; if the monasteries are examined individually, the picture is not so simple. The properties of the Regéc community met the needs of the smaller community of four-six monks. In this case, neither large estates nor numerous mills are reported. It seems that a balanced, non- or little profiting economy satisfied the modest lifestyle of the hermits living in the Regéc monastery. In the case of Gönc, the life-style of the supposedly larger community harmonized with the quantity of the properties, no significant fluctuation can be found among the estates. Nevertheless, in the case of Göncruszka, the high number of mill-properties is a definite proof of the appearance of profit oriented economic system, while, due to lack of data, the volume of the communities itself cannot be estimated. It is difficult to picture the incomes. Lacking sufficient information, it can only be assumed that the size of the communities corresponds with the volume of the properties. Regrettably, few documents survived with regard to the value of the entity of the properties in the medieval period, since all the estates were leased by the vicariate after the decline of the monasteries. In 1558, the estates of the two monasteries at Gönc were taken on lease by the market town of Gönc at a yearly price of one hundred Forints.

267 In 1569, the mills of the St Catherine monastery were sold for one thousand Forints, and additional linked properties were marketed for nine hundred Forints.

268 In 1635, the same possessions costed three thousand Forints. Still, the possible development of Knapp, 1994, 83. Let us remember the story of obtaining the mill in Kéked. DAP 1. 174-175., 259., 260, 261. DAPI., 173-174., and 175., 262. the properties between the purchases cannot be predicted. The monasteries consciously planned the development of their properties, which harmonized with the economic possibilities of the Abauj Region.

269 However, it would be an oversimplification to simply define the characteristic sources of income as the economy of the Pauline monasteries. Hills, favored by the order, naturally backed the development of particular production structures, and defined frequently appearing property types. Fishponds, mills, vineyards are characteristic, their dominance is striking. At the same time, the presence of different natural environments (such as Lád,

270 or some monasteries in county Baranya

271

) brought stressed appearance of arable fields. Furthermore, letting out their houses in various towns (Baumgart,

272 Csatka,

273 Holy Soul- St Ladislaus,

274 Diósgyőr-Dédes)

275 can also be regarded as a special source of income. Finally, Pauline economy can be defined as the conscious utilization of the opportunities offered by the landscapes of the monasteries. SUMMARY The analysis of Pauline presence in the study region shows the exact cross-section of the order's history in the Middle Ages; all major turning points can be similarly found here as in other, non-peripheral areas. The foundation of the Regéc monastery was a pioneering action on the slopes of the Abaúj Region. Its foundation at the end of thirteenth or at the beginning of the fourteenth centuries coincides with the formation of Abaúj county at the turn of the century, and at the same time it is closely related to the emergence of the largest local landowner family, the Abas. This was also the period when the Pauline community made its first attempts towards becoming an order. Hermits, who preferred medium height hills, found a favorable territory in the western slopes of the Zemplén Hills in the Abaúj Region. Yet, the establishment of Regéc marks the dawn of a new era. Their appearance is the first indicator of the Pauline hegemony realizing in the Angevin Period. The next stage of the development was the foundation of further hermitages, in Középnémeti (before 1319), in Göncruszka (1338) and in Gönc (1371). The social strata that was most attracted to the order by its 2b> Mályusz, 1971 and Romhányi, 2000. 270 DAP I., 217-277'. 271 Knapp, 1994, 81-92. 272 Three houses in Sopron! - DAP I., 6., 8. 273 DAP I., 52., 65. 274 DAP III., 411., 973. 275 DAP I., 66., 82. (1381, 1416)