Egres - Cistercian monastery research programme
In search of royal tombs in the village of Egres on the Mures
The Cistercian monastery of Egres (Igriș, Romania), located in the northern part of Banat, was founded in 1179 by King Béla III and became one of the largest and most important Cistercian centers in medieval Hungary. The monastery is historically significant as the final resting place of King Andrew II of Hungary and his second wife, Jolanta Courtenay. The complex was looted and set on fire during the Tartar invasion, but was later rebuilt by King Béla IV of Hungary. During the reign of King László IV, it is believed that the Holy Crown of Hungary was kept at the monastery.
In the 16th century, the monastery was converted into a fortress and was ultimately destroyed by the Ottoman Turks in 1551. While the ruins were still visible in the 19th century, they have since disappeared without a trace.
A research program to identify and excavate the site of the monastery was launched in 2013 by archaeologists from the Banat Museum in Timisoara and Pázmány Péter Catholic University. The research, which combines modern non-destructive technology with traditional archaeological excavation methods, has yielded spectacular results over the years. Since 2018, the project has been supported by the Árpád House Programme of the Ministry of Human Resources in Hungary, and is coordinated by the Jolánta Cultural Association.
