Sâniob Abbey Ensemble

The Benedictine monastery was founded around the year 1084 by King Knight Ladislaus the Saint himself. It is renowned for being the home of Saint Stephen's embalmed right hand for several centuries, the most important relic of medieval Christianity in Hungary. It also gave its name to the locality of Sâniob, Szentjobb, meaning Holy Right.

The monumental ensemble comprises the residence of the Roman Catholic abbey, the abbey church, as well as the ruins of the bastion fortress from the 17th century.

The abbey building was erected over the southeastern bastion of the Renaissance fortress and modified several times. Important personalities who left their mark on this place once lived here.

It is said that after the recovery of Saint Stephen's relic from Dalmatia by Empress Maria Theresa of the Habsburg Empire in 1771, the abbot of the central monastery of the Benedictine Order donated to the church in Sâniob a golden painting with the image of the relic painted on silk, with the empress's handwritten dedication.

The story of the benedictine monastery founded by king Ladislaus I

According to the Legend of Hartvik, during the opening of King Stephen I's tomb in 1083, as part of the sanctification process ordered by Pope Gregory VII, the canonical monk Mercurius was removed from the corpse to prevent potential theft of bones. At that moment, an angel appeared to the monk and handed him the right hand of the deceased, wrapped, with the injunction to keep it, revealing the event only when the time was right. Mercurius took the relic to his own church on the Barcău River in Bihor and confessed the miracle only in 1084, during King Ladislaus I's visit. He convinced the king of the divine desire to keep the relic in that place, and the king founded a monastery dedicated to Saint Stephen.

Another, more pragmatic opinion, is circulated based on a document issued by King Stephen III, stating that the bones were removed earlier, probably in the early 1060s, when the king's body was relocated to Székesfehérvár, and Canon Mercurius would have stolen the right hand.

Unique Experiences

The church also preserves an icon of the Virgin Mary from Brno, a valuable piece of art, painted in the 18th century. Every September, the locality becomes an important pilgrimage site.

For relaxation, tourists can also visit the thermal baths at Sânicolau de Munte and the Adorianis Thermal Complex in Sarcău, located 5 km from Sâniob. The area is also renowned for the wineries and agro-tourism guesthouses in Sântimbru, Săcuieni, and Marghita.