VESZPRIMIA (VESZPRÉM), DIOCESE of. — City and diocese in Hungary. It has an area of 13,710 sq. km, with a population of 874,163 inhabitants, of whom 703,198 are Catholics. In 1949 they were distributed among 329 parishes served by 440 diocesan priests and 183 religious priests; in addition, there was one seminary, 22 male and 47 female religious communities (Ann. Pont. 1953, p. 446).
The city of V. Hungary. The b. Gisella, wife of King s. Stefano, chose it as her residence and built there the first Cathedral, which in the Middle Ages had attached to it a school where, in addition to Latin, logic, and rhetoric, the quadrivium was also taught, and which enjoyed a high reputation. It was sacked several times and suffered Turkish domination. Today, on the southern side of the Cathedral, one can admire a chapel dating from the 11th century, in which paintings from that period are still preserved. It is the oldest surviving monument of Hungarian Gothic. Around the city are the evocative ruins of the Dominican convent founded by the b. Gisella, where s. Margherita d'Ungheria was educated. The Cathedral is dedicated to s. Michele. The diocese is suffragan to Strigonia.
At its foundation, that is, in 1009, the diocese was very extensive, and the bishops of V. always played a major role in the country’s Catholic life. A prerogative of the bishop of V. from the earliest times was that of crowning the queen, and this prerogative was also recognized by the Holy See in 1220. The bishops of V. distinguished themselves above all in the struggle against the Turks. The most distinguished and courageous were Janos Vitéz (1489-99) and Péter Beriszlo (1512-20). But in 1526 the Turks invaded the entire region, and during the time of Bishop Pal Bornemissza (1549-53) the episcopal see was transferred to Sümeg. Once the territory had finally been liberated, from the 18th century onward the diocese began a new life filled with intense activity, under bishops distinguished for their learning and holiness. Janos Ottó Volkra (1710-20) built the Seminary; Imre Esterházy (1723-25), later archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary, built the new Cathedral; and Bishop Márton Biro (1745-62), who died in a reputation for holiness, built or restored no fewer than 107 churches. In 1777 the diocese was considerably reduced, because the diocese of Székesfehérvár was erected from part of its territory. The bishop of V. today is Mons. Bertalan Badalik O. P., who, together with Fr. Bangha S. J. and his lamented predecessor in the episcopal see, Mons. Toht Tihamér, did so much for the Catholic revival of Hungary after the First World War.