Matthias from the kindred Hermán () was provost of Szepes chapter (today Spišská Kapitula in

Spišské Podhradie Spišské Podhradie (, ) is a town in Spiš in the Prešov Region of Slovakia. Its population is 3,775. Spišské Podhradie is situated at the foot of the hill of Spiš Castle. It had a Zipser German settlement, with its own church and priest, i ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

) from 1234 to c. 1261.

Life and career

Matthias was born into the Meszes branch of the ''gens'' (clan) Hermán as one of the four sons of Izsép. His brothers were Antaleus, Herbord and Andrew, while he also had a cousin Andronicus (mentioned as "frater" by Matthias in 1258).Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Hermán 5., Meszes branch) The Meszes branch had estates and lands in

Zemplén County Zemplén (, , , ) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The northern part of its territory is now situated in eastern Slovakia (Zemplín (region), Zemplín region), while a smaller so ...

. Matthias was first mentioned in 1234, when he was elected provost of Szepes by the chapter, replacing Benedict. Formerly he served as canon at the

Esztergom Basilica The Primatial Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Adalbert (), also known as the Basilica of Esztergom (), is an ecclesiastic basilica in Esztergom, Hungary, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, a ...

. In 1239, Béla IV sent him as one of the envoys to the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

in order to confirm the election of

Matthias Rátót Matthias from the kindred Rátót (; died April 11, 1241) was a Hungarian prelate in the first half of the 13th century, who served as Bishop of Vác from 1238 to 1240, then Archbishop of Esztergom from 1239 until his death in the Battle of Mohi ...

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 ...

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...

. During the Mongol invasion of Hungary, the four sons of Izsép actively participated in the skirmishes, one of them, Andrew was killed. Following that they received Olaszliszka from

Béla IV of Hungary Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of Andrew II of Hungary, King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group ...

, but later the king donated the village to the provostry of Szepes. Antaleus was styled himself lord of Meszes in 1255, he became the ancestor of the Meszesi (or Liszkai) noble family. Later he acquired lands in

Szepes County Szepes (; , , ) was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small area in southeastern Poland. For the current region, see S ...

. After the Mongol invasion, Matthias ordered to renovate the St. Martin's Cathedral, dedicated to

Saint Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hungary), he converted to ...

. The towers of the cathedral were built during his term, which became an examples of

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

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 ...

. The first canons (''lector''s, ''cantor''s and ''custodes'') at the Szepes chapter were appointed under Matthias' provostry.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Matthias 13th-century Hungarian people

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. Notable people Notable people named Matthias include the following: Religion * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Isca ...