Makar was a prelate in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

in the second half of the 13th century. He was

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

Dömös Chapter The Dömös Chapter was a collegiate chapter, established around 1107, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch. Establishment Álmos (duke), Duke Álmosthe younger brother of Coloman the Learned, King of Hungar ...

around 1156, and

bishop of Pécs A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

between around 1162 and 1186. The medieval sculptures of the cathedral at

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

are dated to his period.

Life

The first record on Makar's life (a charter of 1156 by Archbishop Martyrius of Esztergom) refers to him as provost of the

collegiate chapter In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college (canon law), college of canon (priest), canons, a non-monastic or secular clergy, "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-gover ...

Dömös Dömös is a village in Komárom-Esztergom County in Hungary. Setting, geography Dömös is located on the right side of the Danube, 16 km from Esztergom and 45 km from Budapest. The also beautiful town, Visegrád is located 5 ...

. He was appointed bishop of Pécs in the reign of King

Géza II of Hungary Géza II (; ; ; 113031 May 1162) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1141 to 1162. He was the oldest son of Béla the Blind and his wife, Helena of Serbia. When his father died, Géza was still a child and he started ruling under the guardia ...

. However, Makar became one of the four prelates who assisted Géza II's brother, Stephen IV against the late king's son, Stephen III. Stephen IV's claim to the throne was promoted by the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, which may account for Makar's choice, his diocese being situated on the southern borders of Hungary. Nevertheless, Makar left Stephen IV's party, shortly after, since a charter Stephen III issued in the middle of 1163 listed him among the prelates witnessing the document. The first reference to "guest settlers" in Pécs is connected to his period, because King

Béla III of Hungary Béla III (, , ; 114823 April 1196) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1172 and 1196. He was the second son of King Géza II of Hungary, Géza II and Géza's wife, Euphrosyne of Kiev. Around 1161, Géza granted Béla a du ...

confirmed a sale of a piece of land by the widow of the leader of the "guest settlers" in Pécs. The architecture of the altar dedicated to the Holy Cross in the cathedral has clear analogies in the contemporary architecture in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

and

Padova Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of ...

, while suggests the presence of

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

s from

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

. A non-authentic royal charter dated to 1186 contains the last reference to Makar.

References

* Koszta, László (2009). ''II. Makár (1162 e.–1186)''. In: ''A Pécsi Egyházmegye története I: A középkor évszázadai (1009–1543)'' (Szerkesztette: Fedeles Tamás, Sarbak Gábor, Sümegi József), ''pp.'' 67-69. ("A History of the Diocese of Pécs, Volume I: Medieval Centuries, 1009–1543; Edited by Tamás Fedeles, Gábor Sarbak and József Sümegi"); Fény Kft.; Pécs; . {{DEFAULTSORT:Makar of Pecs 12th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Hungary Bishops of Pécs 12th-century Hungarian people