Béla III Establishing the Cistercian Abbey of Szentgotthárd in 1183 Stephan Dorffmaister

The painting, as part of a representative series of six pieces, at one time adorned the reception hall of the Cistercian Abbey of the town Szentgotthárd. Local events and the fateful moments in Hungarian history appear simultaneously in these paintings: the depiction of the Battle of Mohács is the companion to the rendering of the Battle of Szentgotthárd. Stephan Dorffmaister, the most actively employed master of the Late Baroque in Transdanubia portrayed the real events with historical accuracy. In his painting Béla III establishing the Cistercian abbey of Szentgotthárd in 1183, the reception of the French monks takes place in front of an archaized Triumphal Arc. The king and his entourage are seen in lavish Hungarian noble dress. Behind them in the distance is an 18th-century panorama of the city of Pest and the Buda Castle shown with medieval details. Behind the monks are a group of buildings shown in the Baroque form of the Szentgotthárd Abbey. The painting is characterized by clear forms and light colours, typical features of the late Baroque style.