Journey at the heart of Christianity

Almost 50 sacred monuments with immense historical value belonging to the Benedictine heritage in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary have attracted the attention of experts in various sectors. In 2014 they promoted a unique project “The Benedictine Way – the Benedictine heritage in central Europe”. The itinerary includes several monasteries and churches, those still “operative” and those which currently play a different role. Danka Jaceckova highlighted its details with the help of Rastislav Koziak, Chair of the History department at Matej Bel University in Slovakia. Where should the origins of the international project “Benedictine Way” be sought? “The idea came about in the Polish Benedictine monastery of Yniec, near Krakow, in its cultural institute, on the wake of an ancient project dedicated to the Benedictine patrimony in central Europe. Various workshops were dedicated to this theme where experts and consecrated men and women from religious congregations discussed the possibility of livening the dialogue between monasteries and the public at large, and boost the involvement of monasteries in public life. Benedictine monasteries are among the most ancient Christian monasteries in the Visegrad Group Countries. They were created at the dawn of the first millennium, in the period of Christianization and of the first development of “statehood”. Thus they contributed to strengthening the cultural models on which European civilization is based, adopted by our Countries”. As a historian, how do you consider the relevance of Christian heritage as a basis on which Europe was built? What can be said of the “Benedictine Way” from this perspective? “As a historian I support this theory which – obviously – represents a part of the structural ideas on the basis of which our project was created. Christianity, along with all the most important spiritual and material results in the field of Western Christian civilization, came to our lands through Benedictine monasteries. I don’t only refer to writing or education but also to the departure from social tensions characterising pre-Christian societies in terms of slavery and human trafficking, which has been the source of great profit for local elite groups in the early 11th century”. What are the goals of this project? “On the one side we wish to help Benedictine monasteries in their quest for a role in contemporary society and in their dialogue with non-believers. On the other, we would like to help the communities near the monasteries, especially those in rural areas, and enhance this potential, getting involved in regional and trans – regional tourism. We ought to reawaken their interest for the restoration of local Benedictine monasteries, and strengthen relations with monasteries – which, in addition to other advantages – could also bring about financial profit. This interest is enriching in terms of knowledge as it cultivates and raises questions on the importance of Christianity in antiquity and today”. What is the practical result of the “Benedictine Way?” “The main product of this project is an international portal, www.viabenedictina.eu, that features information on the history of Benedictine monasteries in the Countries of Visegrad, their current conditions and the activities under way. All those interested in this form of tourism will obtain complete information on transport, accommodation, restaurants or on other sites with touristic relevance in the area. We hope to benefit from the growing interest in the central and eastern areas of Europe (Budapest, Prague, Krakow, Bratislava) and contribute with a segment of religious tourism for Benedictine monasteries. The portal offers also a simplified version under the form of a tourist map”. The history department of the Matej Bel University will ensure the professional aspects o the project. What can you tell us about the concrete participation of monasteries and academic and scientific institutions in the four involved Countries? “In particular, the product I was speaking of – the Internet portal and the tourist map – are the result of the participation of experts from various universities and of their cooperation with monasteries, municipal regional bodies and civil associations. This year we want to extend our project with the creation of special passports on which the pilgrims of the Benedictine Way can collect stamps of all the monasteries they will be visiting during their tour of the monuments of Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary”.