In 2013, during the excavation of the archaeological site of Pétermonostora (Hungary), two exceptionally large enamel plaques were discovered. The reliquary they belonged to was made by a Mosan artist, possibly in the Meuse Valley, a major intellectual and artistic centre of the period. The artwork’s remains constitute one of the greatest discoveries in medieval Hungarian archaeology. Even though the site was completely destroyed by the Mongols in 1241, its remains, and especially artefacts like the reliquary, create a unique image of a large, thriving settlement, home to a Latin Christian masterpiece. Given the destruction of sources and artworks in the region, Pétermonostora offers a rare opportunity to examine artistic, cultural, and historical aspects of high medieval East-Central Europe.

Table des matières :

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1. The History of Pétermonostora

The Site 

The Settlement 

The Basilica and the Monastery 

The Artistic and Material Culture of the Basilica 

Signs of the Mongol Destruction 

Introduction to the Reliquary 

2. The Reliquary’s Stylistic Links

Description of the Enamels 

Technical and Stylistic Description of the Fragments 

The Origin of the Style: Rhine or Meuse? 

Tracing the Design: Decorative Indicators 

The Mosan Manuscripts and Enamels 

The Origins of the Technique 

The Issue of Limoges 

The Style of the Side Cover and the Angel Plaque 

3. The Reliquary’s Shape

The Two Enamel Plaques 

Narrative and Communicative Function 

The Largest Existing Phylactery Plaques 

The Angel Plaque 

The Side Cover

Eucharistic Aspects of Phylactery-Shaped Compositions 

Other Fragments 

4. The Patronage and the Relic

The Becse-Gergely Kindred and the Monastery 

Pétermonostora as a Private Monastery 

The Relic 

The Reliquary’s Connection to the Court of Béla III 

Conclusion

List of Images

Bibliography

Informations pratiques :

Bernát Rácz, The Twelfth-Century Mosan Reliquary of Pétermonostora, Bicester, Archaeopress, 2025 ; 1 vol., 120 p. (Archaeolingua Central European Archaeological Heritage Series, 12). ISBN : 978-1-80327-981-7. Prix : GBP 35,00.

Source : Archaeopress