The First Cistercian Monastery was established during the reign of II. Géza, in 1142, in Tolna County, the former Cikádor, in the region of today's Bátaszék. Their monks arrived from the Austrian Heiligenkreuz. Later Béla III., the son of Géza II. particularly supported the monastic order, and during his reign five new monasteries were founded. The first was founded in 1179 in Egres on the coast of Mures River.

Historical research makes it probable that French connections of the Hungarian ruler has contributed to the royal support. A total of 18 Cistercian abbeys were established in Hungary between 1142 and 1207, of which nine were under royal patrons, while the other nine were patroned by secular or ecclesiastic powers. The first great destruction of the abbeys was during the Tartar invasion and during the 14th century the decline of the order began in Hungary as well. During the Turkish conquest and the Reformation, the Cistercian monastic life was definitely interrupted in our country.