| Description |
288 p. ; 30 cm. |
| Series |
CEU Medieval Studies Department PhD theses ; 2020/2
|
|
CEU Doctoral School of History
|
| Subject |
Landscapes -- Religious aspects
|
|
Monasteries -- Romania -- Transylvania -- Congresses
|
|
Monastic and religious life -- Romania -- Transylvania -- History
|
| Language |
English |
| Summary |
The aim of the dissertation is to draw attention to and to explore the nature of monastic landscapes of different monastic orders within the boundaries of medieval Transylvania. The purpose of this work is manifold, it looks into the reevaluation of the earlier studies, applies a new methodology with new sets of data and provides analysis of a wide area with case studies from the main regions of medieval Transylvania. Based on these features the dissertation builds up a fresh approach and analyzes how far Transylvania represents a unique area as the eastern border region of the Kingdom of Hungary in terms of monastic landscapes. In the same time, the inquiries focus on whether Transylvania as a historical region can be defined as an independent, unitary monastic region. The analysis reaches beyond the church and the claustral buildings and uses all forms of evidence to understand the monastic landscape. To a limited extent it also aims to understand pre-monastic landscapes as well as the post-monastic period to investigate what effects did the dissolution of a monastery had on the region and how it changed the land use. Thus, the present dissertation initiates in-depth case studies on the settling features of monastic orders in medieval Transylvania and analyzes their landscape shaping and land use activities through a holistic approach. The following questions constitute the basis for the research: When and how did the estates of various abbeys spread over Transylvania? What was their relationship with the surrounding neighbors? Can property clusters be recognized? If so, then what could influence the structure of monastic clusters? Can perhaps, preferences of certain types of lands by the monastic orders be recognized? How can the estates of a monastery be identified and their boundaries pinpointed on the ground? What can still be recognized or found on the field? How did the monasteries use their lands? Can different monastic landscapes be identified based on the types of estates and land use of the abbeys? Are there differences among the orders in terms of land use and income? The dissertation is structured into six chapters. The Introduction contains the Aim and structure, the Methodology, the Evaluation and review of the sources and a Literature review. In the second chapter (Monasteries in time and space) the definition of medieval Transylvania is discussed based on the local characteristics and differences within the Kingdom of Hungary. How is it different from the other historic regions of the Hungarian Kingdom? Why can it be analyzed separately? What factors define its uniqueness? Then, a short introduction and discussion follows on the history of the four orders, which constitute the subject of the dissertation, with special emphasis on their presence in Transylvania. Finally, an assessment of the research of the medieval monasteries is presented. The third chapter (Kolozsmonostor abbey and monastic land use) launches the case study and landscape analysis of the largest Benedictine abbey of Transylvania focusing on the land use of the abbey with highlighted case studies of selected study areas from Kolozs County, such as the monastic villages in the Kajántó valley and along the Nádas. In addition, a general discussion of all the monastic properties can be found grouped by historic counties, their location within the counties and connection to Kolozsmonostor. The chapter contains a literature review and a short history of the abbey pinpointing those events that affected the property structure and land use of the Benedictines. Chapter four (Kerc Abbey and its lands) zooms in on the only Cistercian abbey of medieval Transylvania as a detailed case study of the close environs of the monastic buildings as well as a discussion of the monastic properties. The chapter contains a review of the historic setting and literature with special attention to the issues connected to its foundation. The inner and outer precinct of Kerc could be reconstructed based on detailed field surveys this is also presented in detail. The fifth chapter looks into the topic of Pauline micro landscapes with a case study on the monastery in Marosszentkirály but looks into the sources of the other existing Pauline houses as well. Finally, the Conclusions discuss the results of the research and provide insight into further possibilities of investigation. The results indicate that the monastic property structures evolved separately and particularly for each abbey based on the endowments, local circumstances, and social relations. The land use patterns identified in this dissertation also influenced greatly the stability and survival of the abbeys. In some cases, like for Kolozsmonostor or Kerc the central property blocks developed by the fourteenth century and provided constant income for the communities. Although Kolozsmonostor lost a significant part of its distant lands to lay landowners, its main properties (some of which were extensive) remained in the abbey’s possession until its dissolution. Kerc also managed to keep and to develop the monastic villages around the abbey. In the case of the Pauline monasteries cash income was higher while apparently they owned less landed property than Kolozsmonostor or Kerc. However, Szentkirály received a large number of land donations but their extent is not known thus, it cannot be compared to the Benedictine or Cistercian lands. What is sure is that the Paulines were the most involved in lease agreements, as it is nicely outlined by the high number of mills and mill places. Concerning the land donations, the Paulines received the highest number of small, scattered lands in several villages (usually land plot with or without houses), so they did not really own entire villages (with few exceptions, see Unoka, Toldalag) like the Benedictines or Cistercians. The Paulines in Szentkirály received so many donations in Zekelfalva that at least half of the village ended up in their possession, so they too managed to form a stable base close to the monastic buildings. The collected data outlines that various monastic landscapes co-existed which together formed a distinct monastic region in Transylvania with a particular development for each large abbey. As the maps illustrate, the earliest Benedictine communities were concentrated in northwestern Transylvania, in the royal counties and the situation remained the same after the Mongol invasion, with the change that only Kolozsmonostor survived. The easternmost male Cistercian abbey in Europe was royally founded in Kerc, in southern Transylvania (in Fogaras Land) in the early thirteenth century, while the Pauline monasteries lined up along the Upper Maros River and its close environment in the fourteenth century. Chronologically, in very general terms, the first were the Benedictines in northwestern Transylvania, then the Cistercians in southern Transylvania, and lastly the Paulines in the middle, along the Maros River. It seems that all three religious communities (Benedictines, Cistercians, and Paulines) settled and maintained their presence in three distinct parts of medieval Transylvania. All monasteries were situated on smaller hilltops close to significant roads or trade routes, larger towns or market towns as well as rivers. However, at the same time, one might interpret medieval Transylvania as a particular region within the Hungarian Kingdom, where the monastic orders adjusted to the local characteristics and privileged communities, and formed their property clusters close to the abbey buildings. Thus, the small number of monastic houses (in contrast to the higher number of mendicants) can be regarded a characteristic feature of medieval Transylvania. Perhaps it would bring new results if a similar analysis of the mendicants would be added to the monastic orders. |
| Note |
Degree: PhD |
| File Type |
PDF file (11904k) |
| Local note |
ETD |
| Access |
Unrestricted |
| System Det |
System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader; PostScript compatible printer |
|
