Košice, Diocese of

KOŠICE, Diocese of. - In Czechoslovakia. The city (Slovak Košice, Hungarian Kassa, German Kaschau) is an important cultural and economic center in eastern Slovakia. Until 1918 it belonged to Hungary, then to Czechoslovakia. It returned temporarily to Hungary through the Vienna Arbitration (1938). Since 1945 it has again belonged to Czechoslovakia.

The cathedral of St. Elizabeth is the most grandiose Gothic building toward the east of Europe. Begun in 1378, it was completed at the end of the 15th century. It is in the culminating Gothic style of the basilical type, with 5 longitudinal naves and one transverse nave, plus the chapels in the south side; but in the ornamentation the late forms are already visible. The main tower was never finished; the northern tower, however, received a Baroque spire. On the exterior there are precious sculptures in the western and northern portals. In the interior one admires the high altar (a precious sculptural work in wood, 1474-77), many Gothic panels, an elegant tabernacle, also Gothic, in the form of a tower, and in the crypt the tombs of the Rákóczy family. The cathedral suffered serious damage in the earthquake of 1884. It was restored in 1886-96. Other important churches: St. Michael (Gothic of the 13th century), the Dominican (14th century), the Jesuit (now of the Premonstratensians, of 1671) and the modern church of St. Mary (1938).

In the religious sphere the city had importance during the religious wars of the 17th century as a bulwark of the Protestant Reformation and a hotbed of all the revolts of the Protestants against the Habsburgs. For almost a century the Calvinists used the Cathedral for their worship, and in 1619 they martyred three blessed martyrs of C. (v. below). For the Catholic restoration the Jesuits founded a college and an Academy of university rank (1660-1773). There was also a juridical Academy until 1922. Since 1946 the University is being rebuilt anew (the faculty of Engineering and in 1948 that of Medicine).

The diocese was erected on 10 Aug. 1804, suffragan of the archdiocese of Agria (Eger), from which it was detached with 149 parishes. In the same year the diocesan seminary was established. After 1918 the diocese was cut into two parts by the frontier of Czechoslovakia: 156 parishes with the episcopal city remained in Czechoslovakia, 46 in Hungary. For these parishes in Hungary the Holy See erected in 1937 an apostolic administration in Szikszó. Also in 1937 the diocese of C. was detached from the ecclesiastical province of Agria and made immediately subject to the Holy See. After the Vienna Arbitration, in 1939, the apostolic administration in Szikszó was reunited with the diocese; for the Slovak part, however, the apostolic administration in Prešov was erected, together with the 37 parishes of the diocese of Rosnavia (Rožňava) and 5 parishes of the diocese of Satu-Mare (Szatmár), which had remained in Slovakia. Now (1949) under the jurisdiction of the bishop of C. is all the part of the diocese situated in Slovakia, plus 13 parishes of the diocese of Satu-Mare (situated in Romania).

Statistics (1948). - The diocese in Slovakia has: area 8566 sq. km., parishes 167, diocesan priests 240, religious houses 33, Catholics of the Latin rite 292,681 out of 570,430 inhabitants (in which total number are also included ca. 200,000 Catholics of the Eastern rite, belonging to the diocese of Prešov [v.]). The apostolic administration of Satu-Mare has: area 903 sq. km., parishes 13, diocesan priests 19, Catholics of the Latin rite 18,219 out of 43,945 inhabitants. The part of the diocese of C. in Hungary, under the jurisdiction of the apostolic administrator in Szikszó, has: parishes 49, Catholics 85,000. - See Pl. LVI.

Michele Lacko

BLESSED MARTYRS OF CASTELSEPRIO

There are three: 1) CRISINUS MARK STEPHEN (Latin Crisinus, Croatian Križevčanin, Slovak Križin, Hungarian Körösy). Metropolitan canon of Esztergom, b. at Križevci (Crisium) in Croatia in 1588, d. at C. on 7 Sept. 1619. Of a noble Croatian family, he studied at Graz, obtaining a doctorate in philosophy; from 1611 to 1615 he was in Rome at the Gregorian University, as a student of the Germanicum. Having returned to Croatia, he zealously exercised the pastoral care. In 1616 Card. Pázmány called him to his archdiocese of Esztergom and appointed him professor and rector of the seminary of Trnava, in 1617 canon of Esztergom (residing, however, at Trnava, where the metropolitan curia had moved on account of the Turks), in 1618 archdeacon of the district of Komárno. At the beginning of 1619 he was sent by the Chapter to administer the properties of the former Benedictine abbey of Krásna (Széplak), near C. (KOŠICE). 2) GRODZIECKI MELCHIOR (Latin Grodecins, Polish Grodziecki, Slovak Grodecký, Hungarian Grodecz), priest, Jesuit, b. at Těšín in Silesia in 1584, d. at C. on 7 Sept. 1619. He entered the Society of Jesus at Brno, preached at Prague, then at Humenné in Slovakia, and in 1619 was sent to C. as chaplain of the imperial troops. 3) PONGRÁCZ STEPHEN (Latin Pancratius, or Pongracius, Hungarian Pongrácz, Slovak Pongrác), priest, Jesuit, b. in the castle of Alvincz in Transylvania in 1582, d. at C. on 8 Sept. 1619. He entered the Society of Jesus at Brno in 1602, studied philosophy at Prague and theology at Graz. He worked in the colleges of Ljubljana, Klagenfurt and at Humenné. In 1619 he was sent to C. to have care especially of the Hungarians.

All three were martyred at C. (Košice), on 7 Sept. 1619 by Calvinist soldiers under the command of George Rákóczy, general of the Protestant duke Gabriel Bethlen.

The relics, buried at first in the underground chambers of the house of the martyrdom, were purchased and transported by the countess Catherine Pálfy in 1620 to Nižný Šebeš, then in 1635 to Trnava, first into the church of the Poor Clares and then, in 1784, into the church of the Ursulines. After 1904, once the recognition had been made, the relics of M. Crisinus were deposited at Esztergom, and those of the two Jesuits in the Jesuit church at Trnava. They were beatified on 15 Jan. 1905.

Paolo Bajan