Via Sancti Martin

Founded in 996 by Prince Géza and confirmed in 1002 by his son King Saint Stephen, Pannonhalma Abbey, founded on the Sacred Hill of Pannonia (Mons Sacer Pannonia), is a living witness of European and Hungarian culture, a repository of Christianity and culture, of humanity and service. A thousand years on, its architectural, cultural and social heritage continues to educate, and inspire respect and awe, while opening its doors wider than ever to offer its visitors as much of its values as possible. In 1996, UNESCO declared the then thousand-year-old abbey and its surroundings a World Heritage Site.

 As a World Heritage site, the complex of buildings is a harmonious blend of the 12th and 21st centuries, past and present. This is a message that the community here is ready to move with the times and is open to the present and therefore to the future.  The Romanesque basilica, the Gothic cloister, the Baroque buildings of the monastery, and the Neoclassical library and tower, were all built to the highest architectural and technical standards of the period.
One of the special features of Pannonhalma Abbey is that it is still home to the largest Benedictine community in Hungary and houses a permanent residential high school and a social home. Over the last ten centuries, the Archabbey has achieved indisputable prominence in the region through its cultural, religious and economic activities and its extensive international relations.