The time of New Year holidays is over, which means that you can return to more stable blogging. By the way, I wish everyone a happy New Year! I hope it will be peaceful and wonderful. And today I will tell you a little about what you can visit near Budapest. We will talk about the city of Zhambek, which is only 25 kilometres from the capital of Hungary. Rather, I will show the impressive ruins of the medieval three-nave basilica, built in the first half of the 13th century, which reflects the French influence in the late Romanesque and early Gothic styles.
It was built by a descendant of the knight Henard for the monks of the French order of Premontreans. Interestingly, the basilica has suffered more than one destruction and deterioration during its history. The structure survived both the Tatar-Mongol invasion and the 150-year rule of the Turks, but every time it was restored in case of any destruction. But, unfortunately, in 1763, the basilica could not survive a rather strong earthquake, after which it was decided not to restore this architectural monument.
Local residents also played their role in the additional destruction of the basilica, dismantling the walls and taking various materials to build their own homes. They say that walking around the city you can see pieces of the basilica in old houses or fences. But I can't confirm this with photos, because we arrived quite late and by the time we had enjoyed the nature and scenery, it was already dark for a walk around Zhambek itself.
Attempts to preserve this ruin began at the end of the 19th century, but at that time not much money was allocated to this possibility, so the restoration was minimal and with the use of ordinary bricks simply to strengthen the walls and prevent them from collapsing even more. Actually, Zhambek itself received the status of a city due to the fact that it has this architectural monument. The population of the city is only 5 thousand people.
Also, I want to note some interesting facts about the layout of the basilica itself. Anyone who understands the principles of architecture, different styles and layouts will be interested in this and will definitely check everything on their own when they get to this place. So, the apse, where the main altar is located, is not oriented to the east, as in all Christian churches, but turned 46 degrees to the north. The building elements themselves are not always symmetrical, although they should be. For example, the second-floor window of the right tower is divided into three parts by two pillars, while the window of the left tower is divided into two parts by one pillar. An explanation for this has not yet been found.
And one more interesting fact, Hungarians are very respectful of their history. In 1933, it was decided to build an exact copy of the Žambek Basilica on Lehel tér square in Budapest. So, if you wish, you can see what the basilica looked like in the distant past.
But such a landscape can be seen from here. By the way, they say that every Saturday in the summer, various concerts or theatre performances are held here.
