Written by József Paál, heritage conservation engineer
I am certain that every resident of Szigliget and every visitor who holds this place dear will fittingly commemorate the 750th anniversary of the castle's founding — 1260 to 2010. It is only natural that the series of celebrations will be preceded by much work, which has already begun and will continue uninterrupted throughout the year. In preparation for this work and these festivities, I believe the writings in which we evoke the people who once lived in the castle may give cause for reflection — for the "spirit of a place" radiates from its people.
ABBOT FAVUS
It is well known that the charter issued in 1260 records how our King Béla IV donated an island in Lake Balaton to the Benedictine Order of Pannonhalma, so that they might build a castle there. At that time, the Abbot of Pannonhalma was Favus. He inherited from his predecessor, Abbot Salamon, a situation that was only "somewhat settled," as the Order's historian Pongrác Sörös writes in his book. The election of Favus as abbot was decided by the monastic chapter. Its members elected Favus — the former Abbot of Pécsvárad — on the basis of his outstanding qualities. Pope Innocent IV initially annulled the election on procedural grounds, but ultimately, following the intercession of chapter members Lóth and Lőrinc, granted the appointment on 19 December 1252. Favus served as Abbot of the Order from 1252 to 1265.
It is noteworthy that his most significant early activities took place in the areas of internal reform and estate management. The internal tensions among the monks — which were accompanied by moral failings and a disregard for the fundamental principle of monastic life, the embrace of poverty — required urgent attention. Restoring the purity of monastic life was among the most important tasks he faced. In these efforts, he was supported by Pope Alexander IV, whose papal bull of 10 October 1256 lent its authority to the Abbot. He sought to underpin the Order's organisational discipline and spiritual renewal with a strengthening of its material foundations, enriching the Order's estate holdings through inheritances, bequests, and exchanges.
Amid all this work, he also oversaw the construction of Szigliget Castle at considerable financial sacrifice. Reflecting on the Abbot's character — a man who clearly visited Szigliget on several occasions — we can only hold him in the highest regard. We do not know precisely what extent the castle had reached by 1262, when King Béla IV took it back through an exchange of estates. Researchers believe it likely comprised only the inner keep of the upper castle, encompassing the two towers and the palace section between them. But where was the castle chapel, which the Benedictines surely built? The castle was extended further in later years, yet the mark of its founding fathers and the memory of their creative spirit can still be felt to this day.
This is why I consider it a fitting step that we named one of the upper castle's bastions — almost certainly built by Abbot Favus — the "Benedictine Tower," as a mark of our respect. It is in his honour and in his memory that the Benedictine banner flies from this bastion.