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BZOVÍK
FORTIFIED MONASTERY
Bzovik
is a Gothic-Renaisance fortress against Turks and it is former
monastery of Premonstrans. Its beginnings date back to before 1135. It was
founded by Lampert from family Hunt-Poznanyi together with son Nikolas and
wife Zofia, sister of Hungarian King Ladislav. The monastery church was
built in the first half of the 12th century, despite its mention for the
first time in written records in 1285. During the fights between the
followers of Polish Ladislav Jagelovský and Hungarian Elizabeth, local
area was devastated by the soldiers of Jiskra that were stationed in near
by Krupina. During this time the monastery was rebuilt in Gothic Style.
They added a chapel to the old Romanesque single nave church with two
towers in 1444-1446. They also built a new monastery wing and garden of
paradise. The monastery was burned down in 1471 by people from Krupina.
In
1530 Zigmund Balassa attacked the monastery, he evicted the monks and
rebuilt the monastery on grandiose scale to anti Turkish fortress. The
whole former monastery was surrounded by high-fortified wall and four
corner bastions. There was a moat surrounding the fortress.
After
1678 the fortress was repaired and rebuilt in Baroque style by
Estergom’s bishop Juraj Szelepcsényi.
These holdings were managed by Estergom’s Chapter up to 1908 when
they were sold.
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Published in the Slovak Heritage Live
newsletter Volume
12, No.2, Summer 2004
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 2004
3804 Yale Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article and photographs may not be copied,
reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including
electronic, without the express written permission of
Vladimir
Linder. All rights
reserved.
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