Eger [antikvár]

ger lies between two mountains in Central Europe. It has been inhabited by bishops, castle commanders architects, artists, obsessed craftsmen, wine growers and foresters. Within its walls pious Christians turnéd into warriors defending fortresses and simple ironworkers into top-ranking artisans. While establishing the christian state administration, the first Hungárián king, Stephen I, later regarded as a saint, founded the episcopacy of Eger. The rocky hill lying in the strategic valley between the Mátra and Bükk mountains was chosen for this purpose. He marked the place of the episcopal palace on this cliff. At that time the just conquered Carpathian Basin had abundant free territory. The king provided county estates and customs for the episcopate and had the small villages of the Hungárián settlers pay tithe for it. The first town, or to be more precise, really a small number of Hungarians settled down on this ridge who desired tranquility, peace, security and prosperity from the episcopal rule. They were the first to take shelter behind the episcopal palace and the first cathedral erected in honour of St John. Since the Middle Ages the Evangelic St John has been admired as the patron of wine growers all over Europe. It is very likely that already in the lOth-llth century the hills surrounding Eger had been covered by vineyards. People were needed for the construction work taking place on the ridge bending over the Valley of Eger between the Mátra and the Bükk mountains. In addition to the Hungarians, the population consisted of Walloons and Germans who had been settled there. There were several small, scattered settlements in the Eger valley which eventually merged into one big city in the following centuries. Dwellings and workshops mushroomed around the episcopal buildings and soldiers maintained order. Soldiers were badly needed, since it was on the road passing through this valley that the carts clattered down from North to South, and naturally this road was used by the military forces, too. The road had been originally controlled from the mud castle which was discovered by the conqueror families on the castle hill of Upper Tárkány and which dated back to the time of the Great Migrations. The episcopal estate alsó took over the protective role from this former fortress. The first, small church was built for the early settlers. In the 12th century the episcopacy, now richer in force and talent, had a bigger cathedral in Romanesque style. Consisting of three naves and pronouncing the strengthened belief in life and the Lord, it was almost unique in the country. The ridge provided enough space for the episcopate, but it did not prove to be secure against the Mongol attacks of 1241. The hostile bands invaded the episcopate causing heavy damage, set the buildings on fire, destroyed the cathedral, and plundered the treasures. The inhabitants fled; those who did not were murdered. The devastation was huge. After the retreat of the Mongol forces only scattered "building materials"-the stones of the ridge-and the vineyard gardens on the slopes of the nearby hills, which could not have been destroyed by a single military onslaught, could give somé energy and hope for reconstruction to the people dripping in from the nearby forests and by the settlers arriving from the West. But: would not the Mongols return? King Béla IV, apprehensive of a new invasion, decided to construct a network of fortresses of stones. In 1248 Bishop Lambert of Eger received order from the king to build a fortress