Červený Kláštor (monastery)

The Cerveny Kláštor ( Red Monastery ) is a former monastery at the mouth of the river Dunajec in Pieniny in Lipník, Slovakia. It lies at the western foot of the 657.4 m high and rugged mountain monastery ( Kláštorná hora ) in the homonymous municipality Cerveny Kláštor in Okres Kežmarok. For the originally designated as a monastery Lechnica system, the term Red Monastery naturalized later because of its red roof.

History

Situated on the old trade route from Hungary to Poland was built near a ford across the Dunajec, before its breakthrough by Pieniny, a hermitage, in the 1320 the monastery was founded. As a punishment for the murder of a provost of the Knights of Saris left Magister coconut in 1319 the village Lechnica to the Carthusians of refuge rock ( scale útočišťa ) establishing a monastery. Charles Robert drew 1320, the certificate of incorporation, the construction of the monastery began, however, until 1330.

Carthusian

Its location on the border between Poland and Hungary as well as the trade route from the Tisza to the Vistula brought wealth to the monastery, since 1351, the monastery was independent. It had brewing, millstones, and fishing justices and the judiciary. The monastery Lechnica developed within a short time become a major center of culture, science and the spiritual life. 1360 was the small single-nave church in the Gothic style monastery. According to the rules of the Carthusian monks were the cells of the small-sized. They were in single houses around a central cloister, where there were also the convent building and the church. In Lechnica monastery magnificent codices, of which two have survived emerged. One of these illuminated parchment books is now in the Jagiellonenbibliothek Krakow, another in the inventory of the Budapest University Library. Furthermore devoted themselves to the monks of astronomy, medicine and alchemy.

Upon incidence of the Hussites from Poland to Slovakia ( Kingdom of Hungary ) under Dobeslav Puchala in 1431 these plundered after the pillage of Stara Ves Spišská the monastery Lechnica. 1433 again fell Hussite armies under John Pardus of Hradek and Friedrich von Strażnica in the Zips a; before their assault on Kežmarok the monastery was robbed again.

Only a few years later it was the Bratríci the Czechs Petr Aksamits that inflicted the monastery. The mercenary army dominated parts of the Zips and became independent in 1454 from a robber horde, whose captain Aksamit near the 3 km from the monastery remote village Haligovce his main camp had in the rocks. Only in 1462 the Bratríci could be expelled forever.

Even in 1462 the damage a refectory at the monastery have been fixed again, created and expanded the monastery owned by goods in the wine region Zemplín. 1507 acquired the monastery one-thirtieth of the rich city of Košice ( Kassa ), as well as jurisdiction over VeLka Lesná (Rich Forest).

This new heyday was 1526 to end. The unrest in Royal Hungary ( today's Slovakia) and the spread of the Reformation lead more and more to the loss of the former status. A raid of Polish mercenaries from Niedzica to the monastery prompting more and more monks out of fear for their safety to leave the monastery. 1563 also flees the alchemist Martin Kacberborovic including his laboratory from the convent to the safety of Olomouc. Previously, he had inaugurated the Neudorf organist Andrei Smoczký in his art, which she presented later in the book Vade mecum, et ego tecum.

After the dissolution of the monastery in 1563 it was only inhabited by the former Prior. It was vacant after his death in 1567 and was administered by the provost of the Zipser General Chapter Gregory Bornemisza.

Private property

1569 acquired Kaspar Magoczy all monastic property, he was followed by Stephan Thokoly and Georg Horvath. 1626 was the noble family Rákóczi new owners. Under Paul Rákóczi made ​​repairs to the dilapidated monastery buildings. 1699 bought by the Bishop of Neutra, Ladislav Maťašovský, the Monastery of Elisabeth Rákóczi. In the time of Rákóczi uprising the army General Barthotys 1705 had occupied the monastery, which the bishop had testamentary left to the Camaldolese. 1709 the kuruc moved back from Lechnica.

Camaldolese

After the end of the uprising, the Camaldolese took over in 1711 the monastery. This involved a renovation and redesign in the Baroque style. The monastery church was in 1750 equipped with a baroque tower and in 1754 mounted externally on a second farmyard and a chapel for travelers.

The new residents established a brewery and an inn. For rich forest glass workshops were set up, as well as farming, gardening and fishing operated. 1754 originated in a monastery Professorium the Camaldolese, was in 1772 transferred to the monastery Majk. Because of its location in a quiet environment and the mountain air became ill and old monks were increasingly housed in the monastery.

Special recognition attained the monastery pharmacy, which would also founded in 1754, under Brother Cyprian ( 1724-1775 ), which she directed from 1756 until his death. Cyprian published in 1766 the " Herbarium ", which describes both a four -language description of 272 plant species of Pieniny and Tatra as well as various diseases and their cure. In addition, dedicated Frater also cosmology and mechanics.

In the 18th century, Father Romuald Hadbavný worked ( 1714-1780 ) as an administrator and archivist of the monastery, which - especially in the earlier research - as the author of the oldest Slovak translation of the Bible, the sgn. Camaldolese Bible and a Latin -Slovak dictionary and transferred songs by Louis de Blois in the Slovak language.

1782 was the secularization of monasteries in Austria - Hungary under Joseph II

After the dissolution

The monastery property was nationalized in 1782 and went under the administration of the religious fund. The interior of the monastery was peu à peu removed. Some of the valuable items were sold, like the church facilities, which went into Polish Muszyna. The monastery archives and the library came to plague.

With the establishment of the diocese of Prešov ( Eperies ) of the Greek Catholic Church Francis I left in 1820, the monastery, which was, however, no longer used as such. In 1907 it was destroyed by fire.

In the 1920s, became the Slovak hiking and ski club new tenants of the facility and began to renovate two monastic houses and grounds. Between 1956 and 1966, resulted archaeological excavations in the monastery terrain and the subsequent conservation area just reconstruction of the Red Monastery, which was declared a National Monument in Slovakia. 1992-1999 the interior of the church was renovated.

In the monastery is now a museum and a restaurant is located.