MONASTERIES OF THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR (FRANCISCANS) IN THE COUNTIES OF BEREG AND UGOCSA IN THE MIDDLE AGES AND EARLY MODERN TIMES

Abstract

The author investigates while systematizing and analyzing available sources, the circumstances under which the monasteries of the Order of St. Francis in the counties of Bereg and Ugocsa, namely in the cities of Beregsas and Sevlush, were founded and functioned. As the article author states, the region was not among the top-priority and attractive settlement areas for the Franciscans, who usually chose crowded and wealthy cities. In Hungary, the first records about Franciscans appeared in the mid-1220s. In 1238, a separate Hungarian province of the Order was formed; however, Friars Minor came to the northeastern outskirts much later, not earlier than the second half of the XІV century. According to the author, the golden age of the Franciscans in Hungary dates back to the XV-XVI centuries. Both threads of the Order of Friars Minor established monasteries in the northeastern counties of Hungary. The conventuals had their monastery in Beregsas, and the observers stayed in Sevlush. Among the Franciscan patrons, the baronial (Nyalab) branch of the ancient Pereni lineage can be found; its representatives set up a Franciscan monastery in Sevlush on Mount Kanko in the late XV century. Like other Catholic centers, Franciscan monasteries fell into decay with the spread of the Reformation. The monks moved to safer monasteries, and the Order leaders did not relinquish their intention to return the lost estates and lands. At the turn of the XVI-XVII centuries, the first grounds for the revival of Franciscan activity appeared at the northeastern boundary of Hungary. For various reasons, Polish monks in Stropkov could not involve large areas in missionary work, and Italian monks failed to adapt to a multi-ethnic and often hostile environment. In 1651, the Franciscans’ diligent work and the Pereni family’s support contributed significantly to restoring their Sevlush monastery.