2000 Forint Somogyvár-Kupavár

Somogyvár was the site of a Benedictine abbey founded by King László I in 1091, built to house relics of Saint Gilles brought from Provence — an unusual act of Franco-Hungarian ecclesiastical diplomacy at a moment when László was maneuvering for papal canonization. The abbey became one of the most significant religious foundations of the Árpád dynasty and remained an important pilgrimage site until Ottoman devastation left it in ruins. Archaeological excavations at the site, ongoing since the 1970s, continue to revise the known extent of the complex.