The Church of the Holy Trinity or commonly known as the Premonstratensian Church (), or initially the Jesuit Church (Slovak: ''Jezuitský kostol''), is a Roman Catholic church in

Košice Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...

, Slovakia. It is an example of Baroque architecture in the city and was the site of the martyrdom of three saints in 1619.Slovak Travel
retrieved 13 June 2013

History

Origin

It the Middle Ages, the Royal House (a seat of the Royal Chamber), stood on the site of the present church. In 1618, at the beginning of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

and the start of the

Thirty Year War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, The captain of the city established there a dwelling and a chapel for Jesuits in the Protestant town. Two Jesuits Melchior Grodecký,

Stephen Pongracz Stephen Pongracz ( hu, Pongrácz István; 1584–1619) was a Hungarian Jesuit priest, martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. Biography Stephen Pongracz was born in Alvincz Castle in Principality of Transylvania, entered the Society of Jesus ...

were sent there, to work with a canon Marek Križin. On 7 September 1619, the forces of George I Rákóczi, the father of the Prince of Transylvania

George II Rákóczi en, George II Rákóczi, house=Rákóczi, father=, mother=Zsuzsanna Lorántffy, religion=CalvinismGeorge II Rákóczi (30 January 1621 – 7 June 1660), was a Hungarian nobleman, Prince of Transylvania (1648-1660), the eldest son of George I ...

, stormed the castle and arrested the priests. They gave them a death sentence on charges of treason; accusing them of inviting the Polish army into Kassa. They were tortured and then beheaded that day. The execution of the priests shocked the local population, Catholics and Protestants alike.

Construction

In 1657, the

Bishop of Eger The Archdiocese of Eger ( la, Archidioecesis Agriensis) is an archdiocese in Northern Hungary, its centre is the city of Eger. History * 1000: Established as Diocese of Eger * August 9, 1804: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Eger Ordi ...

Benedict Kishdy Benedict Kisdy ( hu, Benedek Kisdy, sk, Benedikt Kišdy) (c. 1598 – 22 June 1660) was a Hungarian Roman Catholic bishop in the 17th century. He was the founder of the Royal University (Universitas Cassoviensis) in present-day Košice and the ...

, founded the first Košice University (Universitas Cassoviensis) close to the site. Later, the daughter-in-law of George I Rákóczi, Sofia Bathory, wife of

, bought the ruins of the former Royal House with intention of building a church for the Jesuits there to make amends for the events of the Thirty Years' War. In 1681, construction on the church finished and it was opened.

Post-suppression

On 21 July 1773, the Jesuits were expelled from the city as part of the suppression of the Society of Jesus. So in 1811, the church was given to Premonstratensians who currently administer the church.Kosice
from ''Polloc.eu'' retrieved 10 June 2013
retrieved 9 June 2013

Gallery

File:Church of the Holy Trinity, Košice -.jpg, Upper part of the Church of the Holy Trinity File:Jezuitský.jpg, The Premonstratensian Church of Košice in 2006 File:Universitas Cassoviensis.jpg, Seal of the Royal Košice University built near the site

References