Circular Chapel - Bény

The rotunda of Bényi and two other destroyed churches were also built in the 10th–11th centuries. They were originally Premonstratensian monastery churches. Amade, the father of Count István, who accompanied King Andrew II on the Crusades to Palestine, donated the village of Kéménd to the monastery “for the salvation of his soul”. According to the description of András Vályi (1796), “Hajdan was famous for its Premonstratensian monastery, which at that time had three churches, one in honor of the body of the Lord, the second church was built in a round shape with a tower in honor of the SAVIOR and the 12 Apostles, and the third in honor of Saint Catherine, but due to the vicissitudes of the war, the ruins of which can hardly be seen.” In Fényes Elek (1851) we can read the following: “The Premonstratensian monks once had a monastery and an abbey here, to which 3 churches belonged, two of which were destroyed by the Turks together with the convent, one was repaired in 1724 and is still there today.” Fragments of 13th-century frescoes can be seen in the intact round church. This unique building is a typical representative of the Romanesque architecture of our region. The two-towered Premonstratensian church, basilica, was built in the 13th century, also in Romanesque style. ; ; Images: http://www.apsida.sk/c/1857/bina-rotunda ; ; The Premontrean Church is also located here.