Szentgotthard Abbey

Szentgotthard Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Szentgotthárd in Vas County in southwest Hungary, approximately 3 km from the Austrian border and 18 km from the Slovenian border. In 1183, Hungarian King Bela III founded a monastery in honor of Saint Gotthard inside the geographical region at the confluence of the Rába and Lapincs rivers. Cistercian priests have been settled there from Trois-Fontaines Abbey, France. Twelve priests arrived in Hungary, led by an abbot. With this founding the king hoped to give assist to the local farmers due to the fact the Cistercians had incredibly advanced agriculture.

Bela III also gave the Cistercians the project of setting up settlements in this borderland and bringing them into the mainstream of the usa. The Cistercians started out to build their new monastic centre in 1184. The building complex itself, with its 94 m with the aid of 44 m foundations, became unambitious, however capable of further extension. The monastery started out to flourish quickly. In the Szentgotthard district round the new monastery, small agricultural villages were fast set up.