Bíňa (Bény)

Bény, with its unique buildings and folk costumes, carries a message of a bygone era – few similar monuments remain in the Carpathian Basin. Its huge round tower, a Romanesque prebendary church built after 1217, a two-brick church and a rotunda offer a special experience to visitors. The unique architectural qualities of this circular church, built in honour of the Twelve Apostles, are enhanced by its special acoustics: the 12 booths in the inner wall each have a different singing voice, giving the hymns sung here a unique sound. Although there are different opinions about the origin of the vaults (Quadian or Roman), it is certain that the Romans were present in the later period to protect the limes, as is best illustrated by the late imperial gold coins found in the 1960s on the outskirts of the village (now on display in the castle museum of the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava). The settlement on the right bank of the Garam was named after Bény, son of Hont, to whom St Stephen gave the area around 1000.