Alexander Stefan Rudnay de Rudna et DivékujfaluMarkó 2006, p. 325. ( hu, rudnai és divékujfalusi Rudnay Sándor István; 4 October 1760 – 13 September 1831) was a Hungarian– Slovak Roman Catholic prelate. He started as a parish priest, but later he became 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 ...

, the Prince Primate of HungaryR. J. W. Evans: Austria, Hungary, and the Habsburgs: Central Europe C.1683-1867
/ref> and a

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Life

Alexander Rudnay was born to a family of lower nobility,Nagy, Iván:
Magyarország családai czímerekkel és nemzékrendi táblákkal
'. Vol. IX. p. 797. which originated from the ancient Hungarian ''gens'' (clan) Divék. The Rudnay family also preserved its coat of arms from the genus: a brown bear under an extensive foliage of tee with blue background.Nagy, Iván:
Magyarország családai czímerekkel és nemzékrendi táblákkal
'. Vol. II. pp. 207-208. His parents were András (Andrej) Rudnay, a servants' judge ( hu, szolgabíró; la, iudex nobilium) and Anna Dőry.Markó 2006, p. 325. He studied in secondary school (gymnasium) in Nitra (''Nyitra''), later in Emerican in

Pressburg Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in Trnava (''Nagyszombat''), theology in

Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...

and, finally, in the general seminary in Pressburg. He was ordained on October 12, 1783, in Trnava, and in April 1784 he received his doctor degree in theology. In January 1785 started his spiritual career, and he was sent as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

Častá Častá ( hu, Cseszte, german: Schattmannsdorf) is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in Pezinok District in the Bratislava Region, on the foothills of the Little Carpathians. The village is best known for the Červený Kameň Cas ...

(''Cseszte''). Afterwards, he served in Hronský Beňadik (''Garamszentbenedek''), Trnava and

Krušovce Krušovce ( hu, Nyitrakoros) is a municipality in the Topoľčany District of the Nitra Region, Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central ...

(''Nyitrakoros''). In 1805 he became the canonical clergyman in Esztergom, 1806 rector of the priest seminary in Trnava and, a theology professor, 1808 a titular bishop, a general vicarius in Esztergom, and a viceroy's councilor. He was appointed as the bishop of Transylvania seated in Gyulafehérvár in 1816. In December 1819 Alexander Rudnay obtained the papal bull with his nomination to

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 ...

and primate of Hungary. Upon the emperor's personal request, he moved his seat 1820 from Trnava to Esztergom. He was further the member of the Table of the Lords, secretary of the royal chancellery, and of the Secret Council. He adhered to the imperial court in Vienna and supported the Slovak culture, especially he saw that Slovak parishes were assigned to Slovak priests. In 1828,

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...

named him a

. It is from this period that his most famous statement comes: ''„Slavus sum, et si in catedra Petri forem, Slavus ero.“'' ''(I am a Slovak, and I shall remain Slovak, even if I were to sit in the Chair of Saint Peter.)''.

Works

Inspired by the movement of

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

this progressive clergyman supported the spiritual development of Slovaks and their national revival. In 1822 as

and

primas Primate () is a title or rank bestowed on some important archbishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority (title of authority) or (usually) ceremonial precedence (ti ...

of Hungary, he began the construction of the

Esztergom Basilica The Primatial Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Adalbert ( hu, Nagyboldogasszony és Szent Adalbert prímási főszékesegyház), also known as the Esztergom Basilica ( hu, Esztergomi bazilika), is an ecclesiastic basili ...

. personally contributing 815,696

forints The forint ( sign Ft; code HUF) is the currency of Hungary. It was formerly divided into 100 fillér, but fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step in the post-World War II sta ...

. It is also the place of his final rest. * ''Erköltsi Keresztény Oktatások különösen a fenyitö házakban raboskodónak remélhetö megjobbitásokra'' (Christian Moral Teachings especially for the Betterment of Prisoners), 1819 * ''Kázne príhodné, ai iné, to gest: 82 reči duchownich..'' (Occasional and Other Sermons, i.e.: 82 spiritual speeches...), 1833 * various

pastoral letters A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circumst ...

, speeches, preaching published individually

Honours

* Esztergom, Hungary: One of the main squares of Esztergom named after Sándor Rudnay. His plaque located at the wall of Szent Anna church. *

Váchartyán Váchartyán is a village and commune in the comitatus of Pest in 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 ...

, Hungary: Suburban estate ''Rudnaykert'' ("Rudnay Garden") named after him. *

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, Slovakia: The square in front of St. Martin's Dome named after him. *In 2002, the Slovak Postal Office issued a stamp with a face value of 17

crowns A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

in his remembrance.

References

Sources

* Mária Vyvíjalová: Alexander Rudnay, 1998 Vydavateľstvo Matice slovenskej, * Markó, László: A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig: Életrajzi Lexikon ''(The High Officers of the Hungarian State from Saint Stephen to the Present Days: A Biographical Encyclopedia)'' (2nd edition); Helikon Kiadó Kft., 2006, Budapest; .
Rudnay de Rudna und Divék-Ujfalá, Alexander
in Constant von Wurzbach, ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'', 27. Band, Wien 1874.

External links

* ttp://www.osobnosti.sk/index.php?os=zivotopis&ID=59013 Biography in Slovak
CV in Slovak

Web page of his native village Považany
">Považany">Web page of his native village Považany
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudnay, Sandor 1760 births 1831 deaths People from Nové Mesto nad Váhom District People from Esztergom 19th-century Hungarian cardinals Slovak Roman Catholic priests Archbishops of Esztergom Hungarian nobility Hungarian people of Slovak descent 19th-century Slovak people Bishops of Transylvania