Zobor Monastery

The ancient monastery of St. Hypolite was built by the Benedictine order on this site as early as the 9th century, no later than 880, with the aim of spreading the Christian faith in the region.

The Benedictines operated here until the 15th century, when they abandoned the monastery due to Turkish invasions. The monastery was revived and restored in the 17th century, when the Camaldolese order arrived here and the Baroque Monastery of St. Joseph was built. It served as a novitiate for all Camaldolese monasteries in Hungary. In addition to spiritual life, the monks also devoted themselves to herbalism, healing, and copying books, always according to their abilities. The first translation of the Bible into Slovak was made in the Zobor Monastery.

The Camaldolese stayed here until 1782, when Emperor Joseph II abolished all religious orders. Later, a cloth factory operated here; and with the development of healthcare, the first climatic spas. Since 1940, the premises belonged to the SVD Order (so called Verbites). In 1953, the entire area was taken over by the Ministry of Healthcare and established a sanatorium for patients with tuberculosis and lung diseases, which still functions in a modified form today.

There are several written sources documenting the existence of the Zobor Monastery and life in it:

– The Chronicle of Kosmas (1178), where the legend of the death of Svätopluk is written

– The Legend of Maurus (1064-1070) discussing the life of St. Andrej-Svorad and Beňadik

– Zobor Deeds (1111 and 1113)

– Seal of the Zobor Monastery and the Zobor Deed

 The first depiction of the Zobor Monastery can be found on a fresco of the ancient Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Horné Krškany.

Church of St. Joseph

The Baroque Church of St. Joseph was built in 1691 – 1695 as a dominant in the central part of the Camaldolese monastery complex. The church consisted of a choir, chapter house, sacristy, side naves and a tower attached to the side. The tower was partly brick and partly wooden, with two bells. 30 stone steps led to the church. Above the entrance was the coat of arms of Bishop Blažej Jaklin and on the sides were reliefs of St. Benedict and St. Romuald. The original size of the church is indicated by the stone masonry found in the church’s paving. Its total length was 29m and its width was 15.5m. The walls, 85-95 cm thick, were made of mixed stone and brick masonry bonded with lime mortar, covered with ochre plaster, and the masonry was closed by a gable roof. Today, the church is in a state of disrepair – the above-ground masonry has been preserved. A relief element has been preserved in the masonry from the original medieval building – a monument of the palmetto style. In the vicinity of the church, there are documented fragments from the Great Moravian period, which prove the historical settlement of this place.

When the monasteries were abolished in 1782, a comprehensive description of the monastery and its parts was created, which still serves as a basis for an idea of the size of the entire complex. Most of the documents from the monastery are now in the Hungarian State Archives, parts of the interior decoration are in the churches of the surrounding villages and in the Nitra diocese.

– During the summer, there are guided tours of the area at the Zobor Monastery – more at www.nitra.eu

The hermitage

The dwelling of a Camaldolese monk – a hermit or hermitage was created to combine two elements of Camaldolese life – life in solitude and life in community. The hermitage consisted of a corridor, a chapel, a chamber, a study, a day room and a small garden. It was furnished purposefully and simply, the only room with decoration was the chapel. The monks spent most of the day in the hermitage, they received their food (vegetarian) from the main building of the monastery. Their day began with a joint prayer at 3.45 am and continued with work – herbalism, healing, or transcribing texts. They met for joint prayer 5 times a day, the last one was at 6 pm. They could talk 3 times a week. Their duty was to pray and work for the monastery. They did not use clocks, only the striking of bells told the time and every day was the same as the previous one.

– You can still find a reconstruction of the hermitage in the area today. You can also see the original hermitage through the 7 pahorkov (7 Hills) augmented reality application.

Benedictines

The  Benedictine Order is the oldest Catholic monastic order still in existence today.

The founder of the order (also called black monks because of their clothing) is Benedict of Nursia, who founded the first convent on Monte Cassino in Italy in 529. The Benedictines’ goal was mainly to raise the standard of living of the society at that time, and not only in the spiritual direction. The monks followed the motto “ora et labora” – pray and work. In addition to prayers, they devoted themselves to copying old manuscripts, caring for the sick and poor (hospitals) or managing the monastery’s property – fields, gardens, or workshops. The Benedictine Order has its own original medal, which carries several symbols.

In the 9th century, the Benedictines founded the Monastery of St. Hypolite – the oldest monastery in our territory, located on the western slope of Zobor in a small basin with a nearby spring of high-quality water. Around 880, a bishopric was established in Nitra, whose first bishop was a Benedictine called Viching.

Camaldolese

The Camaldolese Order was founded in the 11th century near Florence by St. Romuald. The Camaldolese, also known as the White Monks, are a contemplative order preaching strict asceticism and penance. In addition to prayer, they were also dedicated to missionary work and science. The Camaldolese were invited to Nitra by Bishop Blažej Jaklin, who decided to build a new monastery on the site of the original Zobor Monastery in 1691.

The Zobor Camaldolese Monastery of St. Joseph was one of the five Camaldolese monasteries in Hungary. It served as an important novitiate for the Hungarian part of the monarchy. The well-known Father Romuald Hadvabný (later abbot of Červený Kláštor), who was the first to translate the Bible into the Slovak language of the time, also took his religious vows here. The original of this work is in the archive of the Archbishop’s Office in Trnava. The Camaldolese monks wrote many other translations of religious literature into Slovak.

However, the most famous Camaldolese is Brother Cyprián (real name František Ignác Jaschke), who began his hermit life in Zobor, where he took religious vows in 1752. Brother Cyprian was an excellent botanist, pharmacist and healer. He was also interested in technical sciences and there is a well-known (and already filmed) legend about his wings, thanks to which he took off from a hill near the monastery.

Saints Svorad and Beňadik

The first saints in our territory are connected with the Zobor Monastery.

Svorad, the first saint from our area, came to Nitra from Poland around the year 1000. After entering the monastery, he took the religious name Andrej. He lived in the Zobor Monastery, where he often performed the most difficult tasks. He also combined frequent fasting and severe self-denial with his work. Later, he lived as a hermit in a nearby cave (today’s Svorad’s Cave). After a while, his religious brother and follower Benedikt (Beňadik) shared his hermit’s solitude with him. Svorad died around 1030. When the abbot Filip took off his monk’s habit, he found a chain on Svorad’s body, deeply embedded in skin. Svorad was buried in the Church of St. Emeram in Nitra. In 1083, he was solemnly canonized.

Both saints are patron saints of the Nitra bishopric and St. Svorad-Andrej is the patron saint of Nitra. His feast day is commemorated annually on July 17. Their lives are described in the legend of Maurus. The document is evidence of the existence of the monastery. It also speaks of a school at the Benedictine monastery and contains valuable data related to the events of that period.

• The reliquary with the remains of St. Andrej – Svorad and St. Beňadik is kept in the Nitra cathedral church of the Basilica of St. Emeram.

Healthcare under Zobor

The history of healthcare in Zobor dates back to the time of the Benedictines around 1183, who established a hospital (a refuge for the sick) and an infirmary (a refuge for sick priests). The monastery was abandoned after the monks left, but the preserved main building, which still stands today, has served as a cloth factory since 1786. In 1886, Bishop Roškováni bought the building and, due to the suitable climate, established a hostel for the sick and an inn here. In 1902, the bishopric ceded the monastery to Dr. Thuróczy to establish a climatic spa, which operated there for a while. In 1927, for unknown reasons, the monastery burned down. In 1933, it was repaired and an additional floor was added. For a while, the Society of the Divine Word missionary order – Verbites – operated here (1940-1950).

In 1953, the monastery was taken over by the state health department and construction of the extensive Therapeutic Institute for Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases began. Its first director was Dr. Rudolf Krutý. His innovative act in the treatment of tuberculosis was the introduction of rehabilitation and therapeutic exercise. Today’s Specialized Hospital of St. Svorad continues the previous development and treats the entire spectrum of diseases.

The first medical spa under Zobor was established in 1898 by František Mitterbauer at the nearby Zobor Lake. Treatments such as hardening, tub baths, and herbal wraps were offered here