2nd of February – The day of the religious orders
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It was Pope John Paul II who declared the 2nd of February the day of the holy lives, the day of the religious orders in 1997. The pope wanted to spread the knowledge and recognition of religious orders and give a chance to monks to marvel at the beauty of their lives and the miracles the Lord mediates through them for the sake of the church and the world.
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society (usually in monasteries) in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder’s religious practice. Religious orders exist in many of the world’s religions.
A great number of male and female religious orders can be found in Hungary. Probably the most famous and most visited is the Pannonhalma Archabbey, which was founded in 996 by the members of the most ancient Western religious order on a sacred mountain dedicated to St. Martin. It is an active Benedictine monastery and World Heritage Site. The monastery quickly became an important centre of Christianity and medieval culture in Eastern Europe. The monks of Pannonhalma Abbey successfully converted the unruly Hungarians to Christianity, founded Hungary’s first school, and produced the first document in the Hungarian language in 1055. It welcomes visitors to explore its forested grounds and buildings, which include a 13th-century Gothic church with Baroque additions, a beautiful 19th-century library, and a modern reception building.