Mănăștiur ( hu, Bégamonostor; german: Manester) is a
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 ...
in
Timiș County
Timiș () is a county ('' județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Romania in terms of land area. T ...
,
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 ...
. It is composed of four villages: Mănăștiur (commune seat), Pădurani, Remetea-Luncă and Topla. It is located in the contact area of the Lugoj Plain with the Lipova Plateau, on the upper course of the
Bega River.
History
The first recorded mention of the toponym ''Mănăștiur'' dates from 1427, and in 1453 the actual settlement is recorded in the Hungarian royal documents as ''Monostor'', located in
Temes County
County of Temes ( Hungarian: ''Temes'', Romanian: ''Timiș'', Serbian: ''Тамиш'' or ''Tamiš'', German: ''Temes'' or ''Temesch'') was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in southwestern Roma ...
.
It is very possible that this name comes from the existence of a monastery, because everywhere in
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 ...
where this name was taken over by a settlement, there was a monastery. What is certain is that a fortress was built here during this period, because in 1505 the village is mentioned as ''castellum Monosthor''.
The fortresses of Mănăștiur and
Margina
Margina ( hu, Marzsina; german: Marschina) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of nine villages: Breazova, Bulza, Coșevița, Coșteiu de Sus, Groși, Margina (commune seat), Nemeșești, Sintești and Zorani.
Geography
Margin ...
had the same captain who had taken the oath before Count Brandenburg, married to
Beatrice, the widow of
Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...
. For a while, Mănăștiur did not belong to either Hungary or Transylvania, which is why in 1519 an order was issued by which it was annexed to
Temes County
County of Temes ( Hungarian: ''Temes'', Romanian: ''Timiș'', Serbian: ''Тамиш'' or ''Tamiš'', German: ''Temes'' or ''Temesch'') was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in southwestern Roma ...
.
Mănăștiur Fortress was located north of the village, on the right bank of
Bega River. In 1551 it was completely demolished by Count Petru Petrovici, who started a fight against Gheorghe Frater. A little later, in 1554, the fortress was rebuilt and the Count of Temes, Petre Popovici, reclaimed it from the leader of the
Temeşvar Eyalet
The Province of Temeşvar ( ota, ;ایالت طمشوار Eyālet-i Tımışvār), known as Province of Yanova after 1658, was a first-level administrative unit (eyalet) of the Ottoman Empire located in the Banat region of Central Europe.
B ...
, Pasha Kazan. Although little is known from the Turkish occupation of Banat, Mănăștiur continued to exist, as evidenced by
Marsigli
Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (or Marsigli, Lat. ''Marsilius''; 10 July 1658 – 1 November 1730) was an Italian scholar and eminent natural scientist, who also served as an emissary and soldier.
Biography
Born in Bologna, he was a member ...
's writings of 1690–1700, which speak of ''Monostor'' as part of the
Făget District. The fate of the fortress is also unclear, it is not known when it was demolished, evidence of its existence being only a round ditch called by locals ''Mănăstire'' ("Monastery").
After the conquest of
Banat
Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
by the Austrians, in 1717, the locality is registered with 20 houses and is assigned to the
Făget District. In 1779, on the occasion of the re-establishment of the
Krassó County, Mănăștiur was assigned to the
Bulci District.
After 1880, the Hungarian authorities brought to Mănăștiur 150 families of Hungarian settlers, in a plan to Hungarianize the area, which also included several neighboring villages, including
Dumbrava. The Hungarians built their houses of clay brick and formed a few alleys inhabited only by them, which run perpendicular to the main street. Some original houses of the settlers are still preserved today. In 1902 the Romanian Orthodox church was built, and in 1906 the Hungarians built a Reformed church. In the interwar period, the village was part of
Plasa Balinț,
Severin County
Severin County was a county ( Romanian: '' județ'') in the Kingdom of Romania, in the historical region of the Banat. Its capital was Lugoj. Severin County was established in 1926, disbanded with the administrative reform of 1938, re-created in 1 ...
.
Demographics
Mănăștiur had a population of 1,658 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 7% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
(89.57%), larger minorities being represented by
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
(3.74%) and
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
(1.81%). For 4.1% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.
By religion, most inhabitants are
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
(75.27%), but there are also minorities of
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement s (12.97%),
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
(3.8%) 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 lette ...
s (1.51%). For 4.76% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manastiur
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat