The Diocese of Nitra ( sk, Nitrianska diecéza; la, Dioecesis Nitriensis; hu, Nyitrai egyházmegye) is a Roman Catholic diocese western

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, with its seat in

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...

. , the bishop is

Viliam Judák Viliam Judák (born 9 November 1957 in Nová Bystrica, Harvelka) is the diocesan Bishop of Nitra, Slovakia. He was a priest in Nitra, where he gained a Doctor of Theology, Th.D. in 1991, and was then was seminary rector of St. Gorazd in Nitra (199 ...

History

The diocese was created as the first one on the territory of present-day Slovakia around 880 (from the

Diocese of Regensburg The Diocese of Regensburg ( la, Dioecesis Ratisbonensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory seated in Regensburg, Germany. Its district covers parts of northeastern Bavaria; it is subordinate to the archbishop of Munich and Freising. , ...

), during the time of

Great Moravia Great Moravia ( la, Regnum Marahensium; el, Μεγάλη Μοραβία, ''Meghálī Moravía''; cz, Velká Morava ; sk, Veľká Morava ; pl, Wielkie Morawy), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavs, Wes ...

. Its first bishop was the Saint Methodius. Its destiny after the fall of Great Moravia isn't known. It was re-established in 1105 as part of the ecclesiastical province of Esztergom in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. In 1977, it was taken from the Archdiocese of Esztergom and attached into the newly established Diocese of Trnava. Before the reorganization in 2008, it was situated in the western parts of the

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest municip ...

and

Žilina Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...

regions (basically the former

Trencsén County Trencsén county (Latin: ''comitatus Trentsiniensis / Trenchiniensis''; Hungarian: ''Trencsén (vár)megye''; Slovak: ''Trenčiansky komitát / Trenčianska stolica / Trenčianska župa''; german: link=yes, Trentschiner Gespanschaft / Komitat) ...

) with a strip connecting it to the city of Nitra. It had an area of 5,321 km² and a population of that area was 838,861 of which around 84% were of Catholic faith (2004). On 14 February 2008, the territory of the diocese was reorganized. The diocese lost northern parts to the newly created

Diocese of Žilina 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 ...

, but gained territory around the "strip" and southern parts from the

Archdiocese of Bratislava-Trnava The Archdiocese of Bratislava ( sk, Bratislavská arcidiecéza, la, Archidioecesis Bratislaviensis) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in western Slovakia including Bratislava and the western Trnava regions. It has its seat in Bratislava. The curre ...

Bishops through 1892

Saint Methodius of Thessaloniki In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Wiching Wiching or Viching"Wiching", '' :sk:Encyklopédia Slovenska'' () was the first bishop of Nitra, in present-day Slovakia. Life He served between 880 and 891 AD. Wiching was originally a Benedictine monk from Swabia. After 874, he served Svatop ...

(880—891) * Anonymus (900—906) (?) * Svätý Bystrík (?1005—1046) * Gerváz (1106) * I. Miklós (1133) * Pál (Savol) (1137) * I. János (1156) * I. Tamás (1165) * Edvárd (1168—1198) * II. János (1204) * I. Vince (1220—1222) * I. Jakab (1223—1240) * I. Ádám (1241) * Bartolomäus (1242—1243) * II. Ádám (1244—1252) * II. Miklós (1253—1255) * II. Vince (1255—1272) * I. Fülöp (1272) * I. Péter (1279—1281) * Pascház (1281—1297) * III. János (1302—1328) *

Mieszko of Bytom Mieszko of Bytom (b. ca. 1305 – d. bef. 9 August 1344), was a Duke of Siewierz during 1312–1328 (from 1315 only formally), Bishop of Nitra 1328–1334 and Bishop of Veszprém from 1334 to his death. He was the fifth and youngest son of Duke Ca ...

(1328—1334) * Vasvári Vid (Vitus de Castroferreo) (1334—1347) * III. Miklós Vásári (1347—1348) *

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 ...

(1349) * I. István de Insula (Szigeti) (1350—1367) * I. László de Demjen (Demjéni) (1368—1372) * Domonkos de Novoloco (Újhelyi) (1373—1384) * I. Dömötör (1387—1388) * I. Gergely (1388—1392) * II. Mihály de Hédervári (1393—1399) * II. Péter Poliak (Polonus) (1399—1403) * Hinco (14041427) * I. György Berzeviczy (1429—1437) *

Dénes Szécsi Dénes Szécsi de Felsőlendva (or ''Széchy; ''c. 1410 – 1 February 1465) was a Hungarian prelate and cardinal, who served as Archbishop of Esztergom from 1440 to 1465. He was the first Primate of Hungary since 1452 when donated the title a ...

de Felsőlendva (1438—1439) * II. László Csetneki (1440—1447) * IV. Miklós (1448—1456) * Albert Hangács Vétesi (1458—1459) * Illés (1460—1463) * II. Tamás Debrenthei (1463—1480) * II. Gergely (1484—1492) * I. Antal Sánkfalvi (1492—1500) * V. Miklós Bácskai (1501—1503) *Zsigmond Thurzó (4. August 1503-15. November 1504) *II. István Podmanický (1505-1530) *I. Ferenc Thuróo (1534-1557) *Pál Abstemius-Bornemissza (1557-1579) *Zakariás Mossóczy (1582-1587) *III. István Fejérkövy (1587-1596) *Ferenc Forgács (1596-1607) *István Szuhay (1607- † 9. jún 1608) *Bálint Lépes (1608-1619) *

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 (1611–161 ...

(1619-1624) *V. István Bosnyák (1644) *V. János Püsky (1645-1648) *II. György Szelepcsényi (1648-1666) *

Leopold Karl von Kollonitsch Leopold Karl von Kollonitsch (also spelt ''Collonicz'', ''Colonitz'', ''Kollonitz'', ''Kolonits'' and ''Kolonić''; 26 October 1631 – 20 January 1707) or Lipót Kollonich was a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Archbishop of Kalocsa and later ...

(1666-1669) *III. Tamás Pálffy (1669-1679) *János Gubasóczy (1679-1685) *III. Péter Korompay (1686-1690) *II. Jakab Haskó (1690-1691) *I. Balázs Jáklin (1691-1695) *III. László Mattyasovszky (1696-1705) *IV. Count László Ádám Erdödi de Monyorókerék (1706-1736) *János Ernő Harrach (1738-1739) *I. Count Imre Gábor Esterházy de Galántha (1740-1763) *János Gusztínyi-Zubralovszky (1. januáry 1764- † 31. januáry 1777) *Antal Révai (1780-1783) *Ferenc Xavér Fuchs (1787-1804) *József Kluch (1808-1826) *József Vurum (1827-1838) *Imre Palugyay (1838 † 27. júl 1858) *Ágoston Roskoványi (1859-1892)

Recent bishops

Imre Bende

Bishop Imre Bende (born 28 August 1824,

Baja, Hungary Baja () is a city with county rights in , southern Hungary. It is the second largest city in the county, after the county seat at Kecskemét, and is home to some 35,000 people. Baja is the seat of the Baja municipality. The environs of Baja have ...

– died March 26, 1911, Nitra) was a religious writer 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 ...

Bishop of Banská Bystrica in 1887, then Bishop of Nitra in 1893. He studied theology at the University of Vienna and in 1847 in Kalocsa ordained a priest. In 1869 he became a priest in

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...

. Between 1878 and 1884 he was elected official in the Hungarian Parliament, for the

Hungarian Liberal Party Hungarian Liberal Party ( hu, Magyar Liberális Párt, shortened form Liberals (''Liberálisok'') or MLP) is a liberal political party in Hungary that was formed on 27 April 2013 and is led by Anett Bősz. History Foundation Gábor Fodor announ ...

Vilmos Batthyány

Viliam Batan or Vilmos Batthyány (full name Hung. Vilmos Németújvár Count Batthyány Mary Tivadar Gobert) (born March 14, 1870, Zalaszentgrót, Hungary today – died November 24, 1923, Körmend, Hungary) Born into the

Batthyány The House of Batthyány () is the name of an ancient and distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. Members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively, while the title of Prince (Fürst) vo ...

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

of Hungary, the son of Count Batthyány de Németújvár and Countess Sigismund Erdődy. He studied

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 ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

and Rome and received a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. He was ordained priest in 1894 and was connon of Nitra, Auxiliary Bishop of Nitra (1904); in 1911 he became Bishop of Nitra. After the establishment of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

in 1918 Hungarian Church hierarchy were perceived as a threat to national interests of the new republic and demanded to resign. Batan as a lawyer, tried to oppose the demands, however he was unsuccessful and several Hungarian prelates were escorted to the bridge over the

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 ...

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Danu ...

. Batan left shortly after.

Karol Kmeťko

Karol Kmeťko (born December 12, 1875, Lower Držkovce – died December 22, 1948, Nitra) was a Roman Catholic cleric, Bishop of Nitra, and the author of religious books and articles. Karol Kmeťko was one of the signatories of the Martin Declaration of 30 October 1918. From 1918 to 1920 he was a member of the Revolutionary National Assembly, in 1920 he became a Member of the National Assembly. On its mandate, he resigned in 1922 after assuming the functions of a bishop. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the creation of Czechoslovakia, the Nitra bishop (Viliam Batan) was expelled from Czechoslovakia.

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

secretly appointed Karol Kmeťko the Bishop of Nitra on December 16, 1920. On May 11, 1944, Pope Pius XII appointed him Archbishop ad personam.

Eduard Nécsey

Dr. Eduard Nécsey (born 9 February 1892, Oslany – died June 19, 1968, Nitra) was a Roman Catholic cleric, Titular Archbishop and Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Nitra. Studied and ordained at

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

In 1943 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Nitra and was consecrated in Nitra on May 16, 1943. He defended his appointment to the communist regime and latter attended

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and 1 ...

; he died in Nitra in 1968.

Ján Pásztor

Ján Pásztor (born 27 January 1912,

Prievidza Prievidza (; hu, Privigye, german: Priwitz) is a city in the central-western Slovakia. With approximately 46,000 inhabitants it is the second biggest municipality in the Trenčín Region and 11th List of cities and towns in Slovakia, largest ...

– died 8 November 1988) Educated in his native

. He studied

in Nitra seminary and at the

Charles University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

. Ordination in 1934 at Nitra parish and further studytill WW2. A doctorate in theology at Charles University (1937) Law at University of Bratislava (1942). He became a priest in Dubnica in 1947 and In 1950 he was interned in a camp at Močenku and in 1953 imprisoned. After his release he worked as a parish administrator till 1961 and as till 1967. Pope Paul VI appointed him consultor of the Roman Commission for the revision of the Church's Code (1968), and he later became the capitular vicar. In the 1960s he negotiated between the Czech government and the Vatican, and in 1973 he was appointed Bishop of Nitra.

Ján Chryzostom Korec

Ján Chryzostom Korec Ján Chryzostom Korec, Society of Jesus, SJ (22 January 1924 – 24 October 2015) was a Slovakia, Slovak Jesuit priest and a cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was ordained as a priest in 1950 and consecrated as a bisho ...

; born January 22, 1924; died October 24, 2015.
He was ordained in 1950, and named a bishop in 1951 (at 27, and was consecrated clandestinely). On 6 February 1990, he was appointed Bishop of Nitra (Cardinal in 1991); retired 9 June 2005.

Viliam Judák

is the current bishop.

References

External links

Diocese of Nitra at catholic-hierarchy.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nitra, Diocese of Roman Catholic dioceses in Slovakia Catholic Church in Slovakia Nitra