Bencés Apátság
On a hilltop overlooking the Old Town is this twin-spired abbey, whose foundations were laid by King András I in 1055. Today, his body lies in the 11th-century crypt, along with a replica of the abbey's charter, the oldest written source of the Hungarian language (the original is in Pannonhalma). The contrast between the simple crypt, where a small black crucifix hangs over the king's tomb, and the abbey’s lavish 18th-century baroque interior—all gold, gilded silver, and salmon—is vast. The altar, abbot’s throne, choir parapet, organ case, and pulpit were all the work of Sebestyén Stuhloff, and it's said he immortalized his doomed sweetheart as the angel kneeling on the right-hand side of the altar to the Virgin Mary. A magnificent organ, adorned by stucco cherubs, can be heard during evening concerts in summer. In a baroque house adjoining—and entered through—the abbey is the Bencés Apátsági Múzeum. The best exhibits are in the basement lapidarium: relics from Roman colonization, including mosaic floors; a relief of David from the 2nd or 3rd century; and 1,200-year-old carved stones. Get a joint ticket for the abbey and museum from the modern visitor center, where you can watch a short introductory video.
