Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 20. 1980 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1983)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Kralovászky Alán: The earliest church of Alba Civitas. p. 75–88. t. XXVII–XXXII.

actually lies some ten meters south of the middle of the area. Perhaps this spot marked the location of the princely headquarters or tent. There was a road which passed by the north side of the stronghold. As far as can be determined on the basis of Hungarian and foreign written sources, the local market was in all probability located along this road (Fügedi 1967, 29). One may presume that the entrance to the stronghold faced toward this direction as well. This situation must have changed when King István began to extend the settlement northwards. A new center was formed by the construction of the royal cathedral and the provost's headquarters. Thus, as the earlier hill fortress lost its former strategical importance, a new fortification system had to be built along the borders of the extended settlement. In this connection the old fortification was demolished and the defence ditches filled in as well. After these modifications the former hill fortress no longer proved an obstacle for traffic crossing the middle of the new settlement. The extension of the settlement changed the overall structure of the habitation pattern. The dimensions and functions of the new buildings gave new emphasis to the role of the settlement. In spite of this modification St. Peter's church maintained its importance within the structure of the settlement. According to Jenő Major's impressive observation the location of this church was obviously also taken into consideration and respected whenever a new building came to be designed and the land surveyed for the construction. This is shown by the fact that St. Peter's church and the church of the Holy Cross are located at equal distances from the western entrance of the royal cathedral. One may speculate whether the cathedral was built in relation to the other two churches or whether the location of the church of the Holy Cross was defined on the basis of the distance between the other two. Although this latter seems to be the more likely of the two, a synchronous planning may also be a possibility. Undoubtedly however, St. Peter's church served as a focal point in the locational decision. At present, this example is the first known evidence of conscious architectural urban planning in Hungary. If one counts on the survival of this tradition it may be supposed that the location of the 12th century St. Imre's church was determined in the same way. Per analogiam three points may potentially have been used. Either the western or northern edge of the Medieval marketplace, which has been reconstructed as a rectangle or the middle of this rectangle. This latter is as far from the line connecting St. Peter's and the Holy Cross churches as is the western entrance of the royal cathedral. There is one more reason why this third point may have been considered the potential site of a church. St. Imre's church served as a parish church and as such must have had a graveyard associated with it as well. In this case there is room for a cemetery around the building. In addition, after the end of the Turkish occupation new churches were founded on the ruins of former churches. In this case the Franciscan St. Imre's church is such a building! Both the direct and indirect influences of St. Peter's church, which was demolished in the 13th century, may be detected in the organization of the settlement. Its direct effect can be seen in the boundary lines between lots, which were marked before the church was pulled down but which have survived up to the present day. Its indirect influence lies in the fact that the graveyard associated with this church limited the extension of these lots. The abovementioned direct effect however, seems to be the more certain of the two. This respective tradition is not a unique phenomenon. The arrangement of lots, that is the formation of streets and squares, has always reflected property rights and as such is one of the important factors shaping settlement organization. It is for this reason that the lots which border the western side of the central track of János Arany street has kept its hollowed shape even today. This is a powerful remainder that everything has a reason in the formation of the structure of the settlement and that anomalies also have special causes. This should be kept in mind not only by the authorities but also by anyone who deals with the historical reconstruction of these places. A. Kralovánszky * Finally grateful thanks are due to Adél Barna, Györgyi Csukás, Dezső Dercsényi, Géza Entz, Ottó Fényi, Jenő Fitz, Erik Fügéd i, György Györffy, Imre Kisbér k, Réka Kralovánszky, Jenő Major, László Mezey, István Schultz, Ignác Sulyok, István Tilinger, Erzsébet Tompos for the valuable help they offered during my work. 86 Fig. 8: Székesfehérvár, churches from the Arpadian era: 1: St. Peter, 2: Royal Basilica, 3: Holy Cross, 4: St. Emmerich.