Bélapátfalva is a town in

Heves County Heves county (, ) lies in northern Hungary, between the right bank of the river Tisza and the Mátra and Bükk mountains. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Pest (county), Pest, Nógrád (county), Nógrád, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and ...

, in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, located north of the city of

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

. The town is located inside the Eger river valley at an altitude of 311 meters above sea level. Facing the town is the Bél-kő mountain which rises 811 meters and is one of the highest peaks of the Bükk mountains. Because of the picturesque landscape and notable attraction the village is on the path of the

National Blue Trail The National Blue Trail (in Hungarian: ''Országos Kéktúra'', short: ''OKT'') is a national trail in Hungary, for most of its length part of the European Long Distance Walking Route E4. The route starts atop the Írott-kő Mountain (884 m) ...

Romanesque church of Bélapátfalva

The town is the site of the best-preserved Romanesque church building in Hungary, formerly part of a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

abbey, established by Bishop

Cletus Bél Cletus from the kindred Bél (; died December 1245) was a Hungarian prelate in the first half of the 13th century, who served as Bishop of Eger from 1224 to 1245. As royal chancellor, he drafted the Golden Bull of 1222 issued by King Andrew II of ...

. The church was built after 1232 and later modified in Gothic style. The façade is notable for its Romanesque portal and the interplay between grey and reddish stone rows. The abbey to the south of the church was destroyed in the 16th century, and only its ruins remain. The design of the chapel of the Cistercian Our Lady of Dallas in Irving, Texas, was influenced by this church, which architect Gary Cunningham visited prior in preparation for the project.

References

* Gervers-Molnár, V. (1972): A középkori Magyarország rotundái. (Rotunda in the Medieval Hungary). Akadémiai, Budapest * Gerevich T. (1938): Magyarország románkori emlékei. (Die romanische Denkmäler Ungarns.) Egyetemi nyomda. Budapest * Gerő, L. (1984): Magyar műemléki ABC. (Hungarian Architectural Heritage ABC.) Budapest * Henszlmann, I. (1876): ''Magyarország ó-keresztyén, román és átmeneti stylü mű-emlékeinek rövid ismertetése'', (Old-Christian, Romanesque and Transitional Style Architecture in Hungary). Királyi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda, Budapest * Szőnyi O. (É.n.): Régi magyar templomok. Alte Ungarische Kirchen. Anciennes églises Hongroises. Hungarian Churches of Yore. A Műemlékek Országos Bizottsága. Mirályi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda, Budapest. * Dercsényi D. (1972): Románkori építészet Magyarországon. Corvina, Budapest

External links

* in Hungarian
Aerial photographs: Bélapátfalva
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belapatfalva Populated places in Heves County Romanesque architecture in Hungary