Jak Abbey

The Benedictine abbey church of Saint George at Jak was consecrated in 1256 and is the most complete Romanesque church of its scale in Hungary: a twin-towered basilica of pale stone whose western front carries a deeply recessed portal of receding arches worked with zigzag, palmette and geometric ornament, with statues of Christ and the apostles set in niches above it, and a rose window over that. A small octagonal chapel of Saint James stands in front of it in the churchyard. The building was restored heavily in the early twentieth century, which has been criticised, but the sculptural programme is original where it counts, and a copy of the portal stands in Budapest's City Park.

What you actually see

• The carved western portal - receding arches of dense Romanesque ornament.
• Apostle statues above the door - the sculptural programme of the front.
• The twin-towered basilica - a complete Romanesque church at scale.
• The chapel of Saint James - the small octagon in the churchyard.

When to go

April to October. One to two hours. The church closes for services and has short hours out of season. Morning light falls best on the western front.

Honest expectations

The early twentieth-century restoration replaced a good deal of stonework, and specialists argue about how much is original. The village is small with no services. Interior interest is limited compared with the portal.

Nearby

Szombathely is north; Koszeg lies north-east.