Johannes Caioni (''Ion Căian'' or ''Căianu'' in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

or ''Kájoni János'' in Hungarian; 8 March 1629 – 25 April 1687) was a

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

priest, musician, folklorist,

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

, constructor and repairer of

organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

origin (according to his own testimony, "''Natus valachus sum''" - "I was born a

Vlach "Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...

").He is buried in szárhegy.

Biography

Caioni was born in Kiskaján (

Căianu Mic Căianu Mic ( hu, Kiskaján) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Căianu Mare (''Nagykaján''), Căianu Mic, Ciceu-Poieni (''Csicsópolyán''), and Dobric (''Nagydebrek''). It also in ...

), in the Principality of Transylvania (now in

Bistrița-Năsăud County Bistrița-Năsăud () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Bistrița. Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Beszterce-Naszód megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Bistritz-Nassod''. The name is identical with ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

). He was raised in Kolozsvár ( Cluj-Napoca) and Csíksomlyó (

Șumuleu Ciuc Șumuleu Ciuc ( hu, Csíksomlyó, ) is a neighbourhood in the city of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. Until 1959, it was a separate commune. It is the site of an annual Roman Catholic pilgrimage, when Catholics from all over Hungary an ...

). He was of a

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

— Caioni's aunt was the wife of a garrison commander in Csíkszereda (

Miercurea Ciuc Miercurea Ciuc (; hu, Csíkszereda, ; german: Szeklerburg) is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, a mainly Hungarian-speaking ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is situated in the Olt Ri ...

). Through her connections, he was admitted in the Franciscan

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

of Csíksomlyó. Caioni studied with the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

in Kolozsvár, and continued his studies in Csíksomlyó. In 1647, he became a friar, and continued his studies in Nagyszombat (

Trnava Trnava (, german: Tyrnau; hu, Nagyszombat, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a ''kraj'' ( Trnava Region) and of an '' okres'' ( T ...

), training in music. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in 1655. Subsequently, he lived in Csíksomlyó, Gyergyószárhegy (

Lăzarea Lăzarea ( hu, Gyergyószárhegy or colloquially ''Szárhegy'', Hungarian pronunciation: , meaning ''Bald Mountain in Gyergyó'') is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylv ...

), and Mikháza (now Călugăreni, a village in Eremitu

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Mureș County Mureș County (, ro, Județul Mures, hu, Maros megye) is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș. The county was established in 1968, after the administrative ...

). He died in Gyergyószárhegy.

Works and legacy

A Renascentist and precursor of the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

in Transylvania, he is best known for his most important works: *Codex Caioni, *Organo Missale, *Cantionale Catolicum, *Sacri Concentus, *Calendarium, *Antiphonarium Romanum'' and others. His mentioning of the traditional ''

Călușari The Călușari ( ro, Călușari, ; bg, Калушари or ; mk, Русалии) are the members of a fraternal secret society who practice a ritual acrobatic dance known as the . Originally Romanian, the practice later spread to Bulgaria and ...

'' dance in his musical notations makes this among the first to have ever recorded the custom. In 1675, Caioni founded a

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...

in Csíksomlyó, printing both his works and textbooks for the local Franciscan school. His ''Cantionale Catolicum'' went through four editions—1676, 1719, 1805 and 1806. The press was noted for serving the cultural needs of Roman Catholics in the

Székely Land The Székely Land or Szeklerland ( hu, Székelyföld, ; ro, Ținutul Secuiesc and sometimes ; german: Szeklerland; la, Terra Siculorum) is a historic and ethnographic area in Romania, inhabited mainly by Székelys, a subgroup of Hungarians. I ...

and neighbouring

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

. It was later used by Hungarian revolutionaries of 1848 to print their '' Hadi Lap'' newspaper, and other publications.

Music

* See ''Five centuries of German music in Transylvania''. Bucharest: Electrecord, 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caioni, Johannes 1629 births 1687 deaths 17th-century Romanian people 17th-century Hungarian Roman Catholic priests Romanian Franciscans Romanian Roman Catholic priests Early Modern Romanian writers Romanian people in the Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711) People from Bistrița-Năsăud County