Kereszténykori

Kereszténykori is a Hungarian historical term used to denote a period in which Christianity was the dominant religious, cultural, and institutional force. The adjective combines keresztény (Christian) with kori (of the period) and is used to categorize historical events, art, architecture, literature, and social structures in regions where Christian influence was central.

The exact dates of the kereszténykori vary by region and purpose. It is not a fixed calendar era; in practice it covers late antiquity through the medieval period, with emphasis on the establishment of church structures, Christianization, monasticism, and the spread of Latin literacy. In many contexts, it ends where the early modern period begins or where secular statehood becomes dominant.

In studies of art and archaeology, kereszténykori denotes items and sites associated with Christian worship and organization, such as churches, liturgical objects, mosaics, sarcophagi, and illuminated manuscripts. In historical and literary studies, it refers to chronicles, sermons, hagiography, and other texts produced within Christian institutions or communities.

Within Hungary and neighboring Central and Eastern Europe, the term is often used to describe the era following the Christianization of society and the consolidation of medieval Christian kingdoms, roughly from the 9th or 10th century onward through the late Middle Ages. The use and scope can differ among authors and disciplines.

Related terms include the noun kereszténykor (the Christian era); the adjective kereszténykori is used similarly to describe things belonging to that period. The term is descriptive and comparative, not a precise historical boundary.