A historic monastery complex in southern Slovakia, purchased with Hungarian public money under the former Orbán government, remains unusable despite HUF hundreds of millions of being spent on its renovation.
The Orbán administration paid approximately EUR 219,000 for the properties in Šahy (Ipolyság), while nearly HUF 800 million (more than EUR 2.2 million) was allocated for the restoration project. However, construction has stalled, and its future remains uncertain. According to information provided by Hungary’s Ministry of Transport and Investment, more than HUF 440 million (more than EUR 1.2 million) has already been spent on renovation work. A further substantial investment will be needed before the complex can be put to use.
How did the Orbán government acquire the monastery?
As investigative journal Átlátszó reported, the story began in December 2020, when Slovak-Hungarian politician Örs Orosz announced that his Sine Metu civic association had purchased a historic building in Šahy. The complex included a former Premonstratensian monastery, which dates back around 800 years, and a neighbouring building associated with the Jesuits. The buildings had deteriorated significantly over the years. Orosz subsequently approached Hungarian government officials to discuss financing a complete restoration.
In March 2021, Manevi SK, a Slovak subsidiary of the Hungarian state-backed Central European Heritage Preservation Foundation (KEOMA), acquired the monastery complex and surrounding properties. The ministry has since confirmed that the properties were purchased from several sellers for a combined EUR 219,000, equivalent to approximately HUF 87 million (currently around EUR 240,000) at the time. This included EUR 99,000 paid to Sine Metu for properties associated with the Jesuit monastery.
Nearly HUF 800 million allocated for renovation
Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, led by Orbán’s arguably most important minister, Péter Szijjártó, allocated HUF 774 million (more than EUR 2.1 million) for the project, officially described as the rehabilitation of the former Premonstratensian granary in Šahy. The funding agreement was signed in December 2023 by Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar. The first phase of the renovation was awarded to Pesti Építő Zrt., which secured the contract for a net HUF 445.97 million (more than EUR 1.2 million) in February 2025.
The work included structural repairs, strengthening the foundations and replacing the existing asbestos-containing roof. While the roof now appears to have been completed, the wider renovation remains unfinished. The original plans envisaged a restaurant, a 13-room hotel with a small wellness area and a brewery. These visions were shown in a Facebook post on the monastery’s official page in March 2025, but to this day it is their last post on the page.
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New government yet to decide the complex’s future
The renovation has stalled, with construction workers having left the site months ago. The change of government in Hungary has added uncertainty to the project. Péter Magyar’s government dissolved KEOMA, which had acquired 41 properties outside Hungary using public funds. Responsibility for its public duties and ownership rights over its subsidiaries was transferred to the Ministry of Transport and Investment.
The ministry confirmed that funding for the second phase remains available. However, work has not resumed because the authorities are reviewing the foundation’s property portfolio and the ownership structure of its corporate group. Officials said they could not yet provide details about when reconstruction might continue or how the complex would eventually be used.
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Questions over transparency
The circumstances surrounding the purchase and renovation have raised questions about transparency in the Orbán government’s spending on properties beyond its borders. Orosz did not respond to questions about the original purchase price paid by his association or the source of its funding before publication of the original report.
Former Hungarian MP Ákos Hadházy has criticised the project, arguing that it illustrates wider concerns about the transparency of public spending on properties and initiatives in Hungarian communities abroad. For now, the historic monastery remains an unfinished project, with HUF hundreds of millions of already spent and its eventual purpose still undecided.