Iecea Mare (; ; ) is a
commune in
Timiș County
Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. It is composed of a single village, Iecea Mare, and was part of the commune of
Cărpiniș
Cărpiniș ( or ''Gertianosch''; ; ; formerly Gertiamoș) is a Commune in Romania, commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Cărpiniș (commune seat) and Iecea Mică. It also included Iecea Mare until that village was spl ...
until 2004, when it was split off.
History
The first recorded mention of a settlement named ''Uche'' dates from 1317. This settlement existed throughout the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, as shown by numerous medieval documents reminiscent of ''Wche'' (1417), ''Ewcze'' (1467), ''Eqche'' (1479).
After the expulsion of the Turks from
Banat
Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
, one cannot speak of a settlement, but there was the ''Jetsa'' estate, as shown by
Count Mercy's map of 1723.
The present-day village was founded in 1767 by Councilor , who brought German settlers from
Lorraine
Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
,
Trier
Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, etc., for whom he built 202 houses.
The Germans named some areas of the village and the streets after their origin. Thus, there were Österreich ("Austria") and Haszrundel areas and Luxembourg, Trier, Bakowa, Kirchen, Nei, Periam, Lefelstadt, Yeger, Schwarzwald ("Black Forest") and Letzte ("last arrived") streets. In 1779 the name ''Gross Jetscha'' ("Great Iecea") also appears, and the locality is assigned to
Torontál County
Torontál (, , , ) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now divided between Serbia and Romania, except for a small area which is part of Hungary. The capital of the county was Nagybecskerek (, , ), ...
.
In 1836, there was a
cholera
Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
epidemic that killed about 100 locals.
Demographics
Iecea Mare had a population of 2,231 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 4% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are
Romanians
Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
(84.18%), with a minority of
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
People, characters, figures, names
* Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.
* Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun
* Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
(5.24%). For 9.73% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.
By religion, most inhabitants are
Orthodox (74.9%), but there are also minorities of
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
s (5.87%),
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
s (5.06%),
Adventist
Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Willi ...
s (2.24%) and
Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to:
* The Catholic Church in Greece
* The Eastern Catholic Churches
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...
s (1.88%). For 9.73% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
References
{{Authority control
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat
2004 establishments in Romania