Folia Theologica 7. (1996)

József Török: History of the St. Paul order (A critical Study)

HISTORY OF THE ST. PAUL ORDER

187

After a short but very severe devastation the Turks reached the neighbourhood of Buda in two weeks. In the chronicle of the Order the following was recorded: „Gaining victory the Sultan started right to Buda with his army. He occupied everything without applying force as the people ran away from everywhere to the north of the country. In this danger several Pauline monasteries were left. The main monastery on the hill above Buda founded in honour of St. Lőrinc, which was a center of the Order of Hermits, the jewel of the whole kingdom, was totally looted. Hearing the news about the defeat of Mohács, the corpse of St. Paul the Hermit was already removed by the Paulines to the north of the country, to the castle of Trencsén. In the following year the castle of Trencsén burnt down and the dear corpse perished in the fire.” At that time twenty five brothers were killed by the Turks, others - like a miracle, escaped with injuries. Altogether eleven monasteries were burnt down and ruined.”

A part of the monks ran away after the defeat of Buda to Upper Northern Hungary to the areas over the river Dráva, or abroad, others drew back in little villages hiding among the peasants working on the fields sharing their miserable days with the intention to keep alive the faith among them. The palm that sprout on so many places in Hungary, was broken down when the country was divided into three parts.

On the Way Toward the Renewal

On the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries the Pauline Order had such a strong vitality that could be observed only in the strict so called observant line of the Franciscan order. The reason of the decay that happened some decades later was obviously the historical tragedy of the country, the occupation and the division of the country into three parts. The expansion of the reformation also contributed to the fact that the monasteries lost their inhabitants.

Due to the uncertain general situation the forceful attitude of the aristocracy toward the Pauline order increased. On the territories where the hermits were not disturbed by the Turks, they were disturbed by the powerful feudal proprietors, who wanted to get their estates. Péter Perényi drove away the Paulines from Tôkleterebes in 1530. He destroyed their monastery and gare the Pauline church to the followers of the reformation. A lot of stories could be listed. János Tamásdy attacked