Ilija
Encyclopedia
Ilija is a village and municipality
in Banská Štiavnica District
, in the Banská Bystrica Region
of Slovakia
.
In historical records
, the village was first mentioned in 1266 as "Ecclesia Sancti Egidii". Until the 16th century it belonged to the Sitno Castle, which together with its possessions belonged to the Balassa family as of 1548 and which passed to the Kohárys in 1629.
(3rd century BC). The obvious continuation of the settlement over the Late and Early Middle Ages is confirmed by the finds dated back to 12th century from the vicinity of the house of M. Štrba.
settlement borrowed its name from the church's patron saint
. Until 1526, Ilija is found in the written sources in its Latin
form (Sanctus Egidius), Hungarized
(Scenthegud, Zenth Egyed), mixed Hungarian-Slovakian (Zenthlyen in 1496), but also in German as Gilg and Gilgen. Little is known about the development of Ilija in the period between the changes performed in the Saint Giles Church in 1266 and the second decade of the 14th century. That region belonged to the member of the Hunt-Poznanovcov family and its branches.
Before 1318, Ilija was in the possession of a branch of the Csáky family from Plášťovce. The name of its village is recorded as Scenthegud. In 1347 the Hungarian King, Louis the Great decided that some estates, among them, Ilija (Zentheged) owned by Ölvengovi, shall be received by Šarišský Komes Konya. The information on Ilija in further periods depends on how well the historical sources are preserved. And, after some time gap, those date back to 15th century.
The year 1476 was decisive for the conflict over the boundaries of the Damián Horvát’s estate as the Budyn chapter issued the declaration about the approved distribution of property of the dominium Čabraď, which, without doubt, is a valuable historical source both for Ilija as for last villages belonging to the latifundium. By the division of Ilija between the widow Frusinova and the brother-in-law, Peter Horvat, there were 8 inhabited farms in the village. This data is one of the first information on real residents of Ilija in the Middle Ages.
In 1500, Anton Nyerges fulfills the function of the alderman
of Ilija. By the end of the 15th century the proprietary relations of the dominium Čabraď were changed what was accompanied by the property disputes. Since there was no transparency in the proprietary relations and disputes were going on, the royal court was entrusted with the care of the castle.
About 1511 the castle with the villages, including Ilija, formed a part of the Archbishop
Tomáš Bákociho’s estate. After his death, in 1517 King Louis II of Hungary decided that the rule would pass to the estate of the family Erdödyovcov.
In 1540 Ilija was a feudal property where 5 inhabited and one deserted peasant settlements were registered. There were 3 settlements connected with each other, so called „patvarcz“, and a mill with one wheel. At the end of November
1566 the Turks
reached Ilija and Sitnianska. They set afire houses in Ilija. In 1570 Ilija belonged to the Nógrád Sandžak. The terror imbued by the Turks lasted for almost 150 years with varying intensity.
The community of medieval Ilija was engaged in farming, clearing the trees, making the charcoal. The population had to perform labor services towards the castle Litav (Čabraď) and later towards Sitno. The village was ruled by the elected alderman and alders (seniores). The traditional crafts performed in Ilija were miller’s trade, smithery and butcher’s
trade. In 1599 the municipality of Ilija belonged to the castle Sitno, which was called as the authorities’ seat and a part of the defense system against the Turks and the Chetniks.
The oldest preserved inventory of Manor Estates of Sitnianskeho a Čabraďského dominium prepared by the emperor’s estate commissars comes from the year 1602. According to that inventory there were 9 inhabited peasant settlements in Ilija.
; they marked for more than two centuries the development of Ilija and its fortune was united with that of the family Koháriovcov till the second half of the twenties of the 19th century when its successors, the Koburgovcov, died out.
In the 17th and at the beginning of the 18th century, those regions became the scene of the state anti-Habsburg insurrections, which alternated with attacks of the Turks and the Mortalovcov who very often were in a conspiracy with the insurgents. In the 18th century, Ilija was, according to the works performed by its residents, a village with developed farming, timber manufacture and home craft. The insurrection of the community against the landlords the Kohariovcov was engendered in the period of Hungarian Urban reforms realized by the reigning Maria Theresa of Austria (1740–1780).
According to the notes of the inventory in 1743 there were living in Ilija 93 persons who were subject to tax, amongst them 55 were members of the lords’ of the Manor families and 38 of the families without a manor house. It is here where the name of the village is established in Slovakian (Swaty Illik).
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Banská Štiavnica District
Banská Štiavnica District
Banská Štiavnica District is a district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Until 1918, most of the present-day district belonged to the Hungarian county of Hont, apart from Močiar and Podhorie in the north and Kozelník in the east .-Municipalities:*Baďan*Banská Belá*Banská...
, in the Banská Bystrica Region
Banská Bystrica Region
The Banská Bystrica Region is one of the Slovak regions in the country of Slovakia in Europe.-Geography:It is located in the central part of Slovakia and has an area of 9,455 km². The region is prevailingly mountains, with several ranges within the area. The highest of them are the Low Tatras...
of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
In historical records
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, the village was first mentioned in 1266 as "Ecclesia Sancti Egidii". Until the 16th century it belonged to the Sitno Castle, which together with its possessions belonged to the Balassa family as of 1548 and which passed to the Kohárys in 1629.
Early times
The archaeological research conducted by priest Andrzej Kmet (1841–1908), an illustrious personage of the Slovak national, scientific and cultural life, residing for almost 30 years at the parish church in the near Prenčov, as well as the research realized by his successors provided that there had been a human activity going on in Sitno and its close surroundings already in the primeval times. According to the archaeological research and excavations there was a community settled on the grounds of the present municipality of Ilija what is evidenced by the objects of the late Bronze Age (1200-800 BC) and the La Tène cultureLa Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
(3rd century BC). The obvious continuation of the settlement over the Late and Early Middle Ages is confirmed by the finds dated back to 12th century from the vicinity of the house of M. Štrba.
Middle Ages
1266 is a crucial year for Ilija as it appears in written monuments. In the specialist literature, the year 1254 is connected with the Saint Giles Church. The Saint Giles Church played an important role while, in its vicinity, a settlement was organizing. The MedievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
settlement borrowed its name from the church's patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
. Until 1526, Ilija is found in the written sources in its Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
form (Sanctus Egidius), Hungarized
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
(Scenthegud, Zenth Egyed), mixed Hungarian-Slovakian (Zenthlyen in 1496), but also in German as Gilg and Gilgen. Little is known about the development of Ilija in the period between the changes performed in the Saint Giles Church in 1266 and the second decade of the 14th century. That region belonged to the member of the Hunt-Poznanovcov family and its branches.
Before 1318, Ilija was in the possession of a branch of the Csáky family from Plášťovce. The name of its village is recorded as Scenthegud. In 1347 the Hungarian King, Louis the Great decided that some estates, among them, Ilija (Zentheged) owned by Ölvengovi, shall be received by Šarišský Komes Konya. The information on Ilija in further periods depends on how well the historical sources are preserved. And, after some time gap, those date back to 15th century.
Renaissance
However the sources state one important fact in the proprietary relations and determine the Ilija appurtenance till 16th century. In that period Ilija is a part of the estate latifundium Litava. The preserved sources about Ilija as a part of the latifundium Litava – Čabraď are from the second half of the 15th century. The members of the Horvatovcov family from Selce owned the town for relatively longer time, since the sixties of the previous century.The year 1476 was decisive for the conflict over the boundaries of the Damián Horvát’s estate as the Budyn chapter issued the declaration about the approved distribution of property of the dominium Čabraď, which, without doubt, is a valuable historical source both for Ilija as for last villages belonging to the latifundium. By the division of Ilija between the widow Frusinova and the brother-in-law, Peter Horvat, there were 8 inhabited farms in the village. This data is one of the first information on real residents of Ilija in the Middle Ages.
In 1500, Anton Nyerges fulfills the function of the alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Ilija. By the end of the 15th century the proprietary relations of the dominium Čabraď were changed what was accompanied by the property disputes. Since there was no transparency in the proprietary relations and disputes were going on, the royal court was entrusted with the care of the castle.
About 1511 the castle with the villages, including Ilija, formed a part of the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Tomáš Bákociho’s estate. After his death, in 1517 King Louis II of Hungary decided that the rule would pass to the estate of the family Erdödyovcov.
In 1540 Ilija was a feudal property where 5 inhabited and one deserted peasant settlements were registered. There were 3 settlements connected with each other, so called „patvarcz“, and a mill with one wheel. At the end of November
November
November is the 11th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with the length of 30 days. November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar...
1566 the Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
reached Ilija and Sitnianska. They set afire houses in Ilija. In 1570 Ilija belonged to the Nógrád Sandžak. The terror imbued by the Turks lasted for almost 150 years with varying intensity.
The community of medieval Ilija was engaged in farming, clearing the trees, making the charcoal. The population had to perform labor services towards the castle Litav (Čabraď) and later towards Sitno. The village was ruled by the elected alderman and alders (seniores). The traditional crafts performed in Ilija were miller’s trade, smithery and butcher’s
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
trade. In 1599 the municipality of Ilija belonged to the castle Sitno, which was called as the authorities’ seat and a part of the defense system against the Turks and the Chetniks.
The oldest preserved inventory of Manor Estates of Sitnianskeho a Čabraďského dominium prepared by the emperor’s estate commissars comes from the year 1602. According to that inventory there were 9 inhabited peasant settlements in Ilija.
The Age of Reason
The 17th century is important for Ilija due to the relevant changes occurred in the proprietary relations in the estates of both dominions. Those changes were taking place practically till the end of the feudal period under Hungarian conditions and finished with the Revolution 1848/1849Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
; they marked for more than two centuries the development of Ilija and its fortune was united with that of the family Koháriovcov till the second half of the twenties of the 19th century when its successors, the Koburgovcov, died out.
In the 17th and at the beginning of the 18th century, those regions became the scene of the state anti-Habsburg insurrections, which alternated with attacks of the Turks and the Mortalovcov who very often were in a conspiracy with the insurgents. In the 18th century, Ilija was, according to the works performed by its residents, a village with developed farming, timber manufacture and home craft. The insurrection of the community against the landlords the Kohariovcov was engendered in the period of Hungarian Urban reforms realized by the reigning Maria Theresa of Austria (1740–1780).
According to the notes of the inventory in 1743 there were living in Ilija 93 persons who were subject to tax, amongst them 55 were members of the lords’ of the Manor families and 38 of the families without a manor house. It is here where the name of the village is established in Slovakian (Swaty Illik).