Founded in 996 by Prince Géza on Mons Sacer Pannoniae with its rights and privileges then confirmed by his son King Stephen in 1002, the Pannonhalma Archabbey is a living witness of European and Hungarian culture, a haven of Christianity and culture and a watch post for love and service. Its architectural, cultural and social heritage continues to teach, inspire and amaze even after a thousand years, as it opens its doors wide to ensure visitors get the most from its values. In 1996, UNESCO declared the then thousand-year-old abbey and its surroundings a World Heritage Site.Pannonhalma, Chapel of Our LadyConstruction of the Chapel of Our Lady, with its crypt below, was begun by Archduke Celesztin Göncz in 1714. He was the first to be buried here, in the final resting place of the monks. The chapel was originally a parish church for non-Hungarian speakers living near the abbey.
1. Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin MaryThe church’s foundations date from the 12th-13th century. There was a medieval cemetery around it. Abbot Benedict Sajghó had the church renovated in 1734 and then it was rebuilt in 1879 with the support of Abbot Krizostom Kreus.2. Everyone’s Way of the CrossThe Way of the Cross was opened in autumn 2014 in the park next to the parish church, behind the statue of St Martin. György Horváth, a local ceramic artist and several enthusiastic citizens were involved in the construction of the privately established Way of the Cross.3. Holocaust Memorial and SynagogueThe memorial was erected by the Karzat Cultural Centre Foundation in 2004 to commemorate the Jews who were deported from the town and region during World War II. The work of sculptor György Chesslay evokes the gate of the Bechram Synagogue. Behind it is an orthodox synagogue, built at the end of the 19th century, constructed from the donations of Jewish families living in the town and the region at that time.4. CemeteryThere is a large cross erected in the centre of the cemetery, in use since 1759, to commemorate deceased priests and nuns. The cemetery was also called “Kati Jakab’s Garden” by the beggar (singer and storyteller) living there in the early 1910s. She is also mentioned in a novella by the writer Sándor Dallos, born in Pannonhalma. The southern part of the area is already connected to the Jewish cemetery.5. Papal Memorial CrossA cross was erected as a private initiative on the tenth anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Pannonhalma in 1996. The Pándzsa Club Association later replaced it with a new cross, which has since also become a pilgrimage site.