Pauline Fathers - Saint Paul and Saint Anthony
The Pauline Fathers is a monastic order founded in Hungary, also known as the The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit. The order was named after Saint Paul of Thebes, by many considered being the first Christian hermit in history. The Pauline Fathers were formed by Blessed Eusebius of Esztergom in 1250, and it was made up by two different communities joining hands in their wish to serve God. They had a mixture of rules, before they finally ended up adopting The Augustinian Rule in 1308. This rule was not made by Augustine himself, but it contains values, thoughts and teachings emphasized by Augustine himself. The value of love is vital, and so is learning.
“Nothing conquers except truth and the victory of truth is love”
The Pauline Fathers spread rapidly in Hungary, and it was founded in other nations (f.ex: Sweden, Poland, Germany and Croatia). The most important churches belonging to the Pauline Fathers existed outside the Hungarian border as we know them today.
The Pauline Fathers from a Hungarian point of view
As mentioned earlier the Pauline Fathers early turned popular, and much activity happened outside the Hungarian borders. Still, they had some major influence within Hungary. In 1456 the first Hungarian Bible was published, made by Laszlo Bathori, a Pauline Father.
As the Turks invaded Hungary the Pauline Fathers had to run, and many monasteries were destroyed and left empty in this period. As soon as possible they started recovering lost property and in 1715 they laid the foundation for their office at the Pest side, today’s Egyetemi Templom.
Pauline Fathers - Cave Monastery
Later the Enlightenment arrived, and so did Joseph II. Since the work of the Pauline Fathers seemed useless in his eyes, all their buildings (more than 370!) were confiscated and the monastic order were closed. Since then the order declined both within and outside Hungary. After the First World War the Cave Chapel was opened for the Pauline Fathers (in the Gellert Hill), and they also started monastic activity in Pécs.
In 1950 the communists invaded the Cave Chapel, took away everything of value (including the monks), and created a big wall made of concrete in front of the cave. After the fall of communism the Cave Chapel was yet again opened (can be seen next to the Gellert Hotel in Budapest), and the seat of the Pauline Fathers in Hungary moved to Pécs. In 2008 the order had 22 members.