The Arad Chapter was a
collegiate chapter In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...
, established in the , in the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
. It was dedicated to
Saint Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
. The chapter was under the direct jurisdiction of the
archbishop of Esztergom
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
. It held landed property in at least seven
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
. From the 1220s, the chapter was a
place of authentication
A place of authentication ( hu, hiteleshely; la, locus credibilis) was a characteristic institution of medieval Hungarian law. Places of authentication were cathedral chapters and monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildin ...
.
History
Establishment
Modern historians agree that
Béla the Blind
Béla may refer to:
* Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater
* Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name
See also
* Bela (disambiguation)
* Belá (disambiguation)
* Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá, derived from ''bílá'' (''whit ...
,
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...
, established the collegiate chapter between 1131 and 1141. Although the earliest extant document that refers to the Arad Chapterthe so-called ''Register of Arad''was issued in 1177, a royal diploma from 1399 referred to a charter of grant which was issued in favor of the chapter during the reign of King Béla. According to a scholarly theory, King Béla II set up the chapter in token of his repentance for the massacre of 68 lords at an assembly in Arad in 1131. Historian István Bóna writes that the king granted the murdered lords' estates to the new chapter. The chapter was dedicated to
Saint Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
.
Modern scholars identified the large (50-meter-long) medieval church, the ruins of which were found at
Glogovác (now Vladimirescu in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
), as the seat of the Arad Chapter. The first church must have been completed before 1172, because a cemetery developed around it during the reign of
Stephen III of Hungary
Stephen III ( hu, István, hr, Stjepan, sk, Štefan; summer of 11474 March 1172) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1162 and 1172. He was crowned king in early June 1162, shortly after the death of his father, Géza II. However, his two un ...
. That church was rebuilt and a new church (the ruins of which were unearthed) was consecrated in 1224.
Heyday
For the Arad Chapter was founded by a king, the monarchs exercised the
right of patronage
The right of patronage (in Latin ''jus patronatus'' or ''ius patronatus'') in canon law (Catholic Church), Roman Catholic canon law is a set of rights and obligations of someone, known as the patron in connection with a gift of land (benefice). I ...
over it and it was also exempt of the jurisdiction of the bishops of Csanád. The chapter was composed of at least 12
canons, including the
provost who was its head.
Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...
attempted to expand the authority of the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
through appointing his own candidate, Johannes Caputius, provost in 1225, but Caputius was forced to abdicate in favor of the monarch's candidate,
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
. The chapter became a
place of authentication
A place of authentication ( hu, hiteleshely; la, locus credibilis) was a characteristic institution of medieval Hungarian law. Places of authentication were cathedral chapters and monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildin ...
with jurisdiction in
Arad,
Csanád
Csanád, also Chanadinus, or Cenad, was the first head ''(comes)'' of Csanád County in the Kingdom of Hungary in the first decades of the 11th century.
Csanád defeated and killed Ajtony who had ruled over the region now known as Banat (in Rom ...
and
Zaránd counties, in 1229. Ordeals by fire were also completed before the members of the chapter thereafter.
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
excommunicated Provost Albert in 1235 because Albert refused to acknowledge the authority of the
archbishop of Esztergom
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
. However, Provost Albert only yielded to Archbishop
Stephen Báncsa in 1246, promising that he would attend at the synods convoked by the archbishop.
Properties
One hermit Andrew granted landed property to the Arad Chapter in Besen,
Karád
Karád ( hr, Karadin) is a village in Somogy county, Hungary.
The settlement is part of the Balatonboglár wine region.
Etymology
Its name derives from the Turkish person name, ''Kara'' ( hu, fekete, en, black). He could be the first owner of ...
and Rád villages in
Somogy County
Somogy ( hu, Somogy megye, ; hr, Šomođska županija; sl, Šomodska županija, german: Komitat Schomodei) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary.
Somogy County lies ...
during the reign of Béla the Blind. The Arad Chapter held estates in seven
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in 1177, according to the ''Register of Arad'' which was issued upon the orders of
Béla III of Hungary
Béla III ( hu, III. Béla, hr, Bela III, sk, Belo III; 114823 April 1196) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1172 and 1196. He was the second son of King Géza II and Géza's wife, Euphrosyne of Kiev. Around 1161, Géza granted Béla a ...
. Arad Castle was also the chapter's property and one third of the tolls of the ferry at ''Esteuerd'' on the Maros was due to the chapter. During the , the Arad Chapter acquired new estates in
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
,
Baranya Baranya or Baranja may refer to:
* Baranya (region) or Baranja, a region in Hungary and Croatia
* Baranya County, a county in modern Hungary
* Baranya County (former), a county in the historic Kingdom of Hungary
* Baranya, Hungarian name of villag ...
and Arad counties. For instance, in 1223, one Gregory, son of Calad, who had stolen the chapter's 150 sheep, not only returned them, but also mortgaged his estate named ''Chereuy'' to secure his compensation for the damages that he had done.
List of provosts
References
Sources
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{{Refend
Collegiate Chapters in Hungary