Zsámbéki Öregtemplom

Excursion from Budapest downtown!

I am obsessed with the beauty of destruction and have wanted to visit Zsámbék Premontre monastery church (English Wiki available).

The history of the Romanesque-early Gothic style church dated back to 1220 AD. It was built and owned by a single family, the gens Smaragd (the family of Aynard).

In the 15th Century, Hungarians had been in torment, due to the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. The monastery's been used as a fortress. The suffering era had eventually come to an end at the Battle of Buda in 1686.

However, here comes another ordeal after the retreat of the Ottoman. On June 28, 1763, the church collapsed in an earthquake and has been abandoned since then.

Around 150 years after the earthquake, the monastery had partially fixed up to the present looking.

A stunning place to visit and spend a serene time as there aren't many tourists!