Antiochiai Szent Margit legkorábbi magyarországi kultusza

Abstract

The present study focuses on the appearance of the cult of Saint Margaret of Antioch in medievalHungary. Duke Álmos, the brother of King Coloman (1095–1116), founded a monastery at Meszesand a collegiate chapter at Dömös in honour of the saint. Earlier literature has argued that the cultof Saint Margaret already existed in the eleventh century, and used this to explain the church foundationsof Duke Álmos, even though analysis of the sources revealed that the veneration of SaintMargaret cannot be proved before the very end of the eleventh century. The name of the saint mighthave been known to clerics earlier, but the first trace of her veneration in Hungary is the foundationsof Duke Álmos. The monastery of Meszes likely was located in his duchy, and thus Álmosmust have founded it before King Coloman stripped him of his duchy. This means that he mostlikely founded it at the very end of the eleventh century. Then Álmos founded a collegiate chapterdedicated to St Margaret in Dömös, the centre of his new territory. The chapter was consecrated in1108, and thus construction started in the first years of the twelfth century. Imre Orbán argued thatÁlmos chose Saint Margaret as patron saint because the legend of the saint (i.e. Margaret defeatingthe dragon) symbolized his struggle against the incompetent ruler (Coloman). This idea might havebeen inspired from the Chronicon Pictum, which describes Coloman as malformed, though that partof the chronicle is not reliable. Moreover, the legend of Margaret centres upon the confrontationof Christianity with Paganism, rather than her fight with the dragon. While exploring those topics,the present study sheds light on the provenience and the dating of the Saint Margaret Sacramentary,the earliest liturgical book of Hungary. The codex was certainly made for a Benedictine monasterywhich was dedicated to Margaret. The Hungarian dynastic saints’ cults stand out in the codex whichmight connect it to the royal family. Consequently, the Sacrament perhaps was made for the Benedictinesof Meszes, but eventually was used in the chapter of Dömös.