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

PAULINE FRIARIES IN THE ABAÚJ HEGYALJA REGION

Ill modest demands and traditions that reflected both the monastic and the mendicant features, can be clearly portrayed through the establishment of Ruszka. Even though, the presumed royal foundation of Gönc is the sign of the close relationship between the order and the Angevin Dynasty. Despite all, the decline of the hermitages in Középnémeti, the disappearance of both the Holy Trinity monastery, and the community preceding the foundation in Göncruszka show that the formation of the local Pauline Diaspora is the result of a process that had ups and dawns. After all, the increase of the donations and benefices under the reign of King Sigismund and King Matthias is the evidence of the monasteries' prosperity. The foundation of the Holy Trinity hermitage and the donation of St Catherine's Hospital to the Gönc monastery in this particular period can be explained only by the expansion of the order. The decrease of donations and the frequent purchase of the estates remark slow decline, and the appearance of Reformed communities deprived the order of its traditional noble supporters. The final fall was just as spectacular and fast here as it happened in the central parts of the country. It is an irony of fate that in this case not the Ottoman army, but a company officer of the Hungarian Kingdom, Gáspár Serédy destroyed the Pauline institutions. Although the properties were recorded, the majority of arable fields, hayfields, and mills were taken over by tenants. Further on, no attempts were made to re-organize the communities in the Abaúj Region. Documentary Evidence outlines the general tendencies of the order's economy. Data referring to both mill properties and the hegemony of vine estates in relation to other types of incomes correspond to the Pauline economic system outlined in other parts of the country. The perceivable prosperity of mills and vineyards completely fits the opportunities offered by the natural resources of the Zemplén Hills. Though the Pauline estate system was scattered, lands rarely lay far off the monasteries. Their situation mark some attraction areas, but written sources reveal that they did not disturb each other - obviously they had their own directions for spatial expansion and their own circle of donators. The most characteristic Pauline features can be followed in the fields of the natural circumstances, the foundations, the history, and the economy, whose background is the well- functioning, determined order, whose development and specification accord to similar progresses of the county that hosted them. Therefore, the history of the Pauline monasteries closely related to the historical, social and economical changes of the settlements near the rim of the hills. The observed features have significance beyond the common observation of the order. From this aspect, the balanced relationship between the Pauline catchment area and the landscape of the monasteries is of fundamental importance; the function of the ponds and dams was researched with the help of place name evidence, and topographical peculiarities of the region. This group of Pauline communities developed in the study area's special natural environment, whose utilization is determined and restricted. Despite this, the group is connectable with other groups of Pauline communities concerning quality, volume, and also history. Finally, the investigation points to the fact that all typical Pauline features observed in the study region are not unique, which may define further research directions. In the series of the surveys, conducted on the Abaúj Region, I tried to combine complex topographical and historical evidence. In conclusion, the introduced Pauline communities had their own economic system, lived in a sensitive interaction with the region, which provided their social and economical background, but their outer appearance reflected hermit- traditions.