Traces of a church and fortress built prior to the Hungarian conquest found in a Benedictine monastery : New discoveries in Kaposszentjakab

Abstract

The ruins of the former Benedictine Abbey of Zselicszentjakab can be found in the eastern part of Kaposvár, in the Kaposszentjakab district. The walls, which had previously only survived almost completely under the ground surface, were excavated in the 1960s under the direction of Emese Nagy. The archaeological park created in this beautiful natural environment is one of the finest medieval monuments in the area. The monastery’s church is of particular value. With its walls that rise to 2–2.5 meters high in some places and its stone carvings, it is one of the most important monuments of 11th-century Hungarian architecture. This is Hungary’s first known privately founded (non-royal) monastery. We have also learned about the circumstances of its foundation, including the existence of a church that used to stand here from the text of a transcription of the deed of foundation. Despite all this, the site has received relatively little attention for decades. Only short publications were published about the excavation. These merely clarified the construction history and layout of the monastery in broad strokes, while the church that had previously stood here was not identified. In 2014 and 2016, we were able to perform new excavations, which significantly expanded and clarified our previous knowledge. Since the most important new results are related to the period before the foundation of the monastery, I will introduce these first, and then I will briefly discuss the history of the construction of the monastery.