ABSTRACT
During the second half of the 11th century a new stylistic tendency appears in the Hungarian Kingdom which can be characterized as a kind of Byzantinism. The ecclesiastical and political connections between Hungary and Byzantium were strong at that time which inspired previous scholarship to interpret this architectural tendency as a sign of a direct Byzantine influence on the Hungarian Kingdom. However, an investigation here of the centrally planned churches (Feldebrő and Szekszárd, both of which were Benedictine abbeys) will exclude a direct Byzantine connection; instead, relevant Italian parallels can be found.
The same argument can be made for the stone carvings of these buildings. During this period, a specific sculptural style was flourishing in Hungary which can be characterized with palmette friezes and capitals decorated with acanthus spinosa. While the first is almost unparalleled (the only known example outside of Hungary is in Lund), the second was in use in the Adriatic region, especially at Aquileia and Venice, and spread towards Dalmatia as well as in Padua and Verona. Thus, decisive stylistic elements of the period prove that Hungarian art of the period was determined by Italian connections and was not under direct Byzantine influence.
