The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kalocsa–Kecskemét ( hu, Kalocsa–Kecskeméti Főegyházmegye, la, Archidioecesis Colocensis–Kecskemetensis) is an

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of the

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. The diocese is the metropolitan of the

Diocese of Pécs In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

and the

Diocese of Szeged–Csanád In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

. Its patron saint is

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. The current archbishop is Balázs Bábel, who was appointed in 1999.

History

Establishment

In his monography about the early history of the Archbishopric of Kalocsa, the Hungarian historian László Koszta concludes that the "establishment of the Diocese of Kalocsa is one of the most debated issues of our ecclesiastic history in the Age of the Árpáds". Indeed, several important details of the early history of the

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

are uncertain. The date of its establishment is unknown; its early statusa bishopric, a

metropolitan archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

or an archbishopric without

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

sis obscure; its first (arch)bishop is uncertain; and its connection with the see of Bács (now

Bač, Serbia Bač ( sr-cyrl, Бач, ; hu, Bács) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 5,399, while Bač municipality has 14,405 inhabitants. The entire ...

) is debated. According to

Hartvik Hartvik (''Arduin'') was a prelate (most probably the bishop of Győr) in the Kingdom of Hungary under King Coloman the Book-lover. He wrote a new ''Life'' of St Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent Is ...

, an early-12th-century biographer of the first

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 ...

, Stephen I, the king "divided his territories into ten bishoprics", making the archbishopric of Esztergom "the metropolitan and master of the others", and bestowed "the dignity of the bishop of Kalocsa" on Abbot

Astrik Saint Astrik of Pannonhalma (also known as Anastasius, Astericus, Ascrick, Astrissicus) (died c. 1030/1040) is a saint of the 11th century. Life Radla was a Czech or Croat from Bohemia, who was a monk in Hungary. He probably received the habit at ...

. Astrik, continued Hartvik, was appointed to the see of Esztergom to substitute Archbishop Sebastian who had gone blind, but Asterik "returned to Kalocsa with the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

" (the archbishops' specific

vestment Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...

) when Sebastian received back his sight three years later. Stephen's earlier hagiography, the longer version of the ''

Life of Saint Stephen, King of Hungary The longer version of the ''Life of Saint Stephen, King of Hungary'' ( la, Legenda maior S. Stephani regis) is one of the three hagiographies of Saint Stephen, who was crowned the first King of Hungary in 1000 or 1001. It was written between 1077 a ...

'', did not mention this episode and exclusively referred to Astrik as archbishop of Esztergom. The cathedral church at Kalocsa was dedicated to

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

who was renowned especially for his missionary activities. The patron saint implies that the see was established as a missionary bishopric, possibly aimed at the conversion of the so-called

Black Hungarians Black Hungarians ( la, Ungri Nigri) or Black Magyars were a (semi-)independent group of the Magyars before and after the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th century. The nomadic tribes sign the four cardinal points by co ...

(as it is proposed by historian Gábor Thoroczkay). Most historians developed their views about the establishment of the see on Hartvic's report. They accept that the see of Kalocsa was set up as a bishopric shortly after Stephen I's coronation in the first decade of the 11th century. According to a scholarly hypothesis, not only the lands between the rivers

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

and

Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders. The Tisza be ...

, but also the southern region of Transdanubia (the future

), and the Banat (which later developed into the Diocese of

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 ...

) were included in the new bishopric. One George was the first archbishop mentioned in a contemporaneous source: in 1050 or 1051 he was one of the prelates who assisted

Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...

to celebrate a

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...

. The Archdiocese of Kalocsa was probably originally set up as a

Bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

by King

Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the f ...

, but it became the second

Archbishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in 1009. Its original

suffragans A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

were the bishops of

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 ...

( ro, Biharea) and

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 ...

. Around 1028 the bishop of the newly established

Diocese of Csanád In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

also became a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

to the Archdiocese of Kalocsa.

Secular offices connected to the archbishopric

The archbishops of Kalocsa were, from the 15th century to 1776, the

perpetual count A perpetual count ( hu, örökös főispán, la, supremus et perpetuus comes)Nemes 1989, p. 81. was a head or an ''ispán'' of a county in the Kingdom of Hungary (“Lord Lieutenant”) whose office was either hereditary or attached to the dignity ...

s ( hu, Bács vármegye örökös főispánja,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Bacsiensis perpetuus supremus comes'').

Ordinaries

(c. 1009) *

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

(c. 1050) *

Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. Des ...

(b. 1064–1076/90) *

Paul I Paul I may refer to: *Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch *Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople *Pope Paul I (700–767) *Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia *Paul ...

(c. 1111–1113) *

Fancica Fancica or Francica ( hu, Fancsika, hr, Francika; died after 1134) was a Hungarian prelate at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, who served as Bishop of Zagreb from around 1125 to 1131, then Archbishop of Kalocsa from 1131 until his death. ...

(1131 – c. 1134) *

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

(c. 1135?) * Mikó (c. 1156 – c. 1165) * Chama (c. 1169 – c. 1171) * Stephen I (?–1176) *

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

(1176–1186) * Paul II (c. 1188–1190) *

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

(1190–1192) *

Saul Győr Saul from the kindred Győr ( hu, Győr nembeli Saul; died early 1202) was a prelate in the Kingdom of Hungary at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. He was Bishop of Csanád (now Cenad in Romania) between 1188 and 1192, then Archbishop of K ...

(1192–1202) *

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1202–1205) *

Berthold Berthold or Berchtold is a Germanic given name and surname. It is derived from two elements, ''berht'' meaning "bright" and ''wald'' meaning "(to) rule". It may refer to: *Bertholdt Hoover, a fictional List_of_Attack_on_Titan_characters, character ...

† (1206 Appointed – 1218

Patriarch of Aquileia The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate (bishop), primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholicism, Independent Catholic Chur ...

) *

Ugrin Csák Ugrin (III) from the kindred Csák ( hu, Csák nembeli (III.) Ugrin, hr, Ugrin Čak, sr, Угрин Чак; died in 1311) was a prominent Hungarian baron and oligarch in the early 14th century. He was born into an ancient Hungarian clan. He ac ...

† (1219 Appointed – 11 April 1241 Died) *

Benedict Benedict may refer to: People Names *Benedict (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Benedict (surname), including a list of people with the surname Religious figures * Pope Benedict I (died 579), head of the Catholic Chu ...

(1241–1254) * Thomas Hahót (1254–1256) * Smaragd (1257–1265) * Stephen Báncsa (1266–1278) *

John Hont-Pázmány John Hont-Pázmány ( hu, Hont-Pázmány nembeli János; died September–October 1301) was a prelate in the Kingdom of Hungary at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. He was Archbishop of Kalocsa between 1278 and 1301. In this capacity, he c ...

(1278–1301) *

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

(1306–1311) *

Demetrius Vicsadoli Demetrius Vicsadoli ( hu, Vicsadoli Demeter; died 1351) was a Hungarian clergyman in the first half of the 14th century, who was elected Archbishop of Kalocsa by the cathedral chapter in 1311, but Pope John XXII decreed that the election would b ...

(1311–1317, elected) *

Ladislaus Jánki Ladislaus Jánki ( hu, Jánki László; died between October 1336 and March 1337) was a Hungarian Franciscan friar and prelate in the first half of the 14th century, who served as Archbishop of Kalocsa and chancellor of the royal court from 1317 ...

(1317–1336/7) * Nicholas Vásári (1349–1350, elected) *

Nicholas Apáti Nicholas Apáti (also Keszei; hu, Apáti Miklós; died November/December 1366) was a Hungarian prelate in the 14th century, who served as Archbishop of Esztergom from 1358 until his death. Ancestry and early life His origin is uncertain; it is p ...

(1356–1358) * Thomas Telegdi (1358–1367) *

Juraj Drašković Juraj II Drašković ( en, George II Drashkovich, hr, Juraj II. Drašković, hu, Draskovics II. György; 5 February 1525 – 31 January 1587) was a Croatian nobleman, statesman and Catholic bishop and cardinal, very powerful and influential in ...

† (1574 Appointed – 31 January 1587 Died) * Márton Pethe (died 1607) * István Szuhay † ( 1607 Appointed – 9 Jun 1608 Died) *

János Telegdy János Telegdy ( hu, Telegdy János, sk, Ján Telegdy; 1575–1647) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Kalocsa (1623–1647), Bishop of Nyitra (1619–1623), Bishop of Várad (1613–1619), and Bishop of Bosnia (1611–1613 ...

† ( 1624 Appointed – 1647 Died) * János Gubasóczy † ( 1685 Appointed – 10 Apr 1686 Died) * Leopold Karl, Graf von Kollonitsch † (6 Mar 1690 Appointed – 22 Aug 1695 Appointed, Archbishop of Esztergom) * Imre Csáky (1710 Appointed – 1732) * Herman Gabrijel Patačić *

József Batthyány József () is a Hungarian masculine given name. It is the Hungarian name equivalent to Joseph. Notable people bearing this name include: * József Braun (also known as József Barna; 1901–1943), Hungarian Olympic footballer * József Cserm ...

† (15 Dec 1760 Appointed – 20 May 1776 Appointed, Archbishop of Esztergom) * baron Adam Patačić * László Kollonitz (László Kollonitz) * Peter Klobusiczky † (19 Apr 1822 Appointed – 2 Jul 1843 Died) * József Kunszt † (15 Mar 1852 Appointed – 15 Jan 1866 Died) *

Lajos Haynald Stephan Franz Lajos (or Ludwig) Haynald (October 3, 1816, at Szécsény – July 3, 1891, at Kalocsa) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian Archbishop of Kalocsa-Bács, naturalist, and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal. Life Having completed hi ...

† (17 May 1867 Appointed – 4 Jul 1891 Died) *

Juraj Császka Juraj is a given name used in a number of Slavic languages, including Czech, Slovak, and Croatian. Pronounced "You-rye" but with a trilled r. The English equivalent of the name is George. Notable people * Juraj Chmiel, Czech diplomat and politici ...

† (27 Oct 1891 Appointed – 11 Aug 1904 Died) *

János Csernoch János Csernoch (''Slovak'': Ján Černoch) S.T.D. (18 June 1852 – 25 July 1927) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary. János Csernoch was born in Szakolcza, Kingdom of Hungary (now ...

† (20 Apr 1911 Appointed – 13 Dec 1912 Appointed, Archbishop of Esztergom) * Árpád Lipót Várady † (25 May 1914 Appointed – 1923 Died) * Gyula Zichy † (31 Aug 1925 Appointed – 1942 Died) * Gyula Glattfelder † ( 1942 Appointed – 1943 Died) * József Grósz † (7 May 1943 Appointed – 3 Oct 1961 Died) * Endre Hamvas † (15 Sep 1964 Appointed – 1969 Retired) * József Ijjas † (10 Jan 1969 Appointed – 5 Jun 1987 Retired) * László Dankó † (5 Jun 1987 Appointed – 25 Jun 1999 Died) *

Balázs Bábel Balázs () is a Hungarian surname and male given name, equivalent to the name Blaise. Its feast day is on 3 of February. As a surname: * Andre Balazs (born 1957), American hotelier and residential developer * Árpád Balázs (born 1937), Hungar ...

(25 Jun 1999 Succeeded – )

Sources

* * *Balogh, Margit - Gergely, Jenő: ''Egyházak az újkori Magyarországon (1790-1992) - Adattár'' (MTA Történettudományi Intézete, Budapest, 1996) * *Fallenbüchl, Zoltán: ''Magyarország főispánjai 1526-1848'' (Argumentum, Budapest, 1994) *Fallenbüchl, Zoltán: ''Magyarország főméltóságai'' (Maecenas, 1988) *Karácsonyi, János: ''Magyarország egyháztörténete főbb vonásaiban 970-től 1900-ig'' (Könyvértékesítő Vállalat, Budapest, 1985) *''Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század)'', főszerkesztő: Kristó, Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel, Pál és Makk, Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994) *''Magyarország Történeti Kronológiája I-III. – A kezdetektől 1526-ig; 1526-1848, 1848-1944'', főszerkesztő: Benda, Kálmán (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1981, 1982, 1993) *''Magyar Történelmi Fogalomtár I-II. – A-K; L-ZS'', főszerkesztő: Bán, Péter (Gondolat, Budapest, 1989) *

References

Catholic-Hierarchy entry

External links

Official website (in Hungarian)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Kecskemet History of Christianity in Hungary Dioceses established in the 11th century Kalocsa-Kecskemet Kalocsa-Kecskemet