Unitarian Church of Transylvania
Encyclopedia
The Unitarian Church of Transylvania is a church of the Unitarian denomination
, based in the city of Cluj
in the Principality of Transylvania, present day in Romania
. Founded in 1568 inside Transylvania
, it has a majority-Hungarian following, and is one of the 18 religious confessions given official recognition by the Romanian state.
The Transylvanian and Hungarian Unitarians represent the only branch of Unitarianism not to have adopted a congregationalist polity
, and remains quasi-episcopal
; the Irish Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church
, a distinct body closely related to Unitarianism, has a presbyterian structure
. The Unitarian Church of Transylvania is administrated by a Bishop
and two Curators-General, being divided into five Archpriest
ships. Since March 2009, its Bishop is Rev. Ferenc Bálint Benczédi. The Church, which uses Hungarian as the liturgical language, also endorses and teaches a catechism
.
Together with the Calvinist Reformed Church and the two Lutheran
churches of Romania (the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession), the Unitarian community runs the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj
, wherein Unitarianism is represented by a distinct section. In addition, it has two high school-level theological educational institutions.
(47.10%) and Roman Catholics
(41.20%). Since 1700, the Unitarian Church has had 125 parish
es — in 2006, there were 110 Unitarian priests and 141 places of worship in Romania.
The vast majority of church adherents live in Transylvania, mostly between Sighişoara
(Segesvár) and Odorheiu Secuiesc
(Székelyudvarhely), more or less around Dârjiu
(Székelyderzs). The Unitarian church is especially strong in Dârjiu, Atid
(Etéd), Cristuru Secuiesc
(Székelykeresztúr), Feliceni
(Felsőboldogfalva), Inlăceni (Énlaka), and Mugeni
(Bögöz), where Unitarians make up a large majority of the population. All of these localities are situated in the southwestern corner of Harghita County
, except for Sighişoara which is located immediately outside of that area in the Southeastern corner of Mureş County
.
The Unitarian Church was first recognized by the Edict of Torda, issued by the Transylvanian Diet
under Prince John II Sigismund Zápolya
(January 1568), and was first led by Ferenc Dávid
(a former Calvinist
bishop, who had begun preaching the new doctrine in 1566). Early on, the Unitarian Church had notable successes: it included 425 parishes, made use of the monumental St. Michael's Church in Cluj-Napoca, and attracted members of the eastern Transylvanian Székely
community in large numbers.
The Church attracted suspicion from all other established religions, Roman Catholic as well as Protestant
, with both camps deeming it heretic
. After Dávid's imprisonment and 1579 death in custody, the institution entered a period of decline. The church in Transylvania received many refugees following the expulsion of the Socinian Polish Brethren
from Poland on July 20, 1658 and maintained contact with the dispersed communities of Polish Brethren
in the Netherlands and Lithuania. Andrzej Wiszowaty Jr.
, great-great grandson of Fausto Sozzini, was one of the Polish exiles who taught at the Unitarian College
in Cluj-Napoca, in the period in the 1730s when the church was reorganized and strengthened by Mihály Lombard de Szentábrahám
, author of the church's official statement of faith, the Summa Universae Theologiae Christianae secundum Unitarios
.
Following the Union of Transylvania with Romania
at the end of World War I
, Unitarian congregations were established in regions of the Old Kingdom
: the first Unitarian church in Bucharest
was founded in 1933 (its building was later demolished).
American and British Unitarians became aware of the survival of the Unitarian Church in Transylvania following the visit of Alexander Farkas to Pennsylvania in 1831 and publication of his Account of the Unitarians of Transylvania, which was communicated in Latin to the Secretary of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association
and published in the The Unitarian advocate and religious miscellany in 1832. On 5 June 1899 the American Unitarian Association
sent a letter to Bishop Jozsef Ferencz of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church inviting the leaders of the church to the first International Association for Religious Freedom
(IARF) conference in 1900. With the exception of 1920, Transylvanian Unitarian leaders have been present at all IARF congresses, and, in May 1975, Communist authorities
allowed it to welcome the IARF's Executive Committee in the city of Cluj-Napoca. In 1994, the IARF European Conference was held in the same location. The Transylvanian Unitarian Church is also a founding member of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists
.
's World Heritage List. Murals, dating back to the Roman Catholic period, show King Ladislaus I of Hungary's legend: Cumans
broke into the Kingdom of Hungary
; Duke Ladislaus, along with his cousin King Solomon
, rode against them and freed a girl believed to be daughter of a Hungarian nobleman from a Cuman's hands (although she did not support this act). Further murals in the region are to be found at Unitarian churches in Mugeni
, Crăciunel, and smaller ones in Rugăneşti and Cristuru Secuiesc
.
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
, based in the city of Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
in the Principality of Transylvania, present day in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Founded in 1568 inside Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, it has a majority-Hungarian following, and is one of the 18 religious confessions given official recognition by the Romanian state.
The Transylvanian and Hungarian Unitarians represent the only branch of Unitarianism not to have adopted a congregationalist polity
Congregationalist polity
Congregationalist polity, often known as congregationalism, is a system of church governance in which every local church congregation is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or "autonomous"...
, and remains quasi-episcopal
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
; the Irish Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church
Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland
The Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland derives its name and its liberal and tolerant identity from early 18th century Presbyterian ministers who refused to subscribe at their ordination to the Westminster Confession, a standard Reformed statement of faith; and who formed, in 1725, the...
, a distinct body closely related to Unitarianism, has a presbyterian structure
Presbyterian polity
Presbyterian polity is a method of church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or consistory, though other terms, such as church board, may apply...
. The Unitarian Church of Transylvania is administrated by a Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and two Curators-General, being divided into five Archpriest
Archpriest
An archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...
ships. Since March 2009, its Bishop is Rev. Ferenc Bálint Benczédi. The Church, which uses Hungarian as the liturgical language, also endorses and teaches a catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
.
Together with the Calvinist Reformed Church and the two Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
churches of Romania (the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession), the Unitarian community runs the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj
Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj
The Protestant Theological Institute is a Protestant seminary and private university in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The state-recognized institution trains ministers for three separate Protestant faiths: Calvinism , Lutheranism , as well as...
, wherein Unitarianism is represented by a distinct section. In addition, it has two high school-level theological educational institutions.
Demographics
According to the results of the 2002 census, there are 66,846 Romanian citizens of the Unitarian faith (0.3% of the total population). Church officials place the number of believers at 80,000-100,000. Of the total Hungarian minority, Unitarians represent 4.55%, being the third denominational group after members of the Reformed Church in RomaniaReformed Church in Romania
The Reformed Church in Romania is the organization of the Calvinist church in Romania. The majority of its followers are of Hungarian ethnicity and Hungarian is the main church language...
(47.10%) and Roman Catholics
Roman Catholicism in Romania
The Roman Catholic Church in Romania is a Latin Rite Christian church, part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome. Its administration is centered in Bucharest, and comprises two archdioceses and four other dioceses...
(41.20%). Since 1700, the Unitarian Church has had 125 parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es — in 2006, there were 110 Unitarian priests and 141 places of worship in Romania.
The vast majority of church adherents live in Transylvania, mostly between Sighişoara
Sighisoara
Sighişoara is a city and municipality on the Târnava Mare River in Mureş County, Romania. Located in the historic region Transylvania, Sighişoara has a population of 27,706 ....
(Segesvár) and Odorheiu Secuiesc
Odorheiu Secuiesc
Odorheiu Secuiesc is the second-largest city in Harghita County, Transylvania, Romania. In its short form, it is also known as Odorhei in Romanian and Udvarhely in Hungarian...
(Székelyudvarhely), more or less around Dârjiu
Dârjiu
Dârjiu is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.The toponym "Székelyderzs" was first mentioned as "De ers" in a papal list of tithes taken in 1334...
(Székelyderzs). The Unitarian church is especially strong in Dârjiu, Atid
Atid
Atid is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.-Component villages:The commune is composed of five villages:- History :...
(Etéd), Cristuru Secuiesc
Cristuru Secuiesc
Cristuru Secuiesc is a town in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.The town administers two villages:*Beteşti / Betfalva, part of Mugeni until 2004*Filiaş / Fiatfalva- History :...
(Székelykeresztúr), Feliceni
Feliceni
Feliceni is a commune in Harghita County, Romania, in the vicinity of Odorheiu Secuiesc. It forms part of the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.- Component villages :The commune is composed of eleven villages:- History :...
(Felsőboldogfalva), Inlăceni (Énlaka), and Mugeni
Mugeni
Mugeni is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.- Component villages :The commune is composed of eight villages:...
(Bögöz), where Unitarians make up a large majority of the population. All of these localities are situated in the southwestern corner of Harghita County
Harghita County
Harghita is a county in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea-Ciuc.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 326,222 and a population density of 52/km².*Hungarians- 85%...
, except for Sighişoara which is located immediately outside of that area in the Southeastern corner of Mureş County
Mures County
Mureș is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș.-Geography:The county has a total area of 6,714 km²....
.
History
Transylvanian Diet
The Transylvanian Diet was the constitutional and political body of Principality of Transylvania, and later of the Grand Principality of Transylvania...
under Prince John II Sigismund Zápolya
John II Sigismund Zápolya
John II Sigismund Zápolya was King of Hungary from 1540 to 1570 and Prince of Transylvania from 1570–1571.-Family:The son of King John I and Isabella Jagiełło, he succeeded his father as an infant...
(January 1568), and was first led by Ferenc Dávid
Ferenc Dávid
Ferenc Dávid was a Transylvanian Nontrinitarian and Unitarian preacher, the founder of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania.-Life:Born in Kolozsvár to a Hungarian family, he studied in Wittenberg and Frankfurt...
(a former Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
bishop, who had begun preaching the new doctrine in 1566). Early on, the Unitarian Church had notable successes: it included 425 parishes, made use of the monumental St. Michael's Church in Cluj-Napoca, and attracted members of the eastern Transylvanian Székely
Székely
The Székelys or Székely , sometimes also referred to as Szeklers , are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania...
community in large numbers.
The Church attracted suspicion from all other established religions, Roman Catholic as well as Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, with both camps deeming it heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
. After Dávid's imprisonment and 1579 death in custody, the institution entered a period of decline. The church in Transylvania received many refugees following the expulsion of the Socinian Polish Brethren
Polish Brethren
The Polish Brethren were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658...
from Poland on July 20, 1658 and maintained contact with the dispersed communities of Polish Brethren
Polish Brethren
The Polish Brethren were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658...
in the Netherlands and Lithuania. Andrzej Wiszowaty Jr.
Andrzej Wiszowaty Jr.
Andrzej Wiszowaty Jr. was a grandson of Andrzej Wiszowaty Sr. He taught at the Unitarian Gymnasium in Cluj-Napoca from 1726 or before....
, great-great grandson of Fausto Sozzini, was one of the Polish exiles who taught at the Unitarian College
John Sigismund Unitarian Academy
The John Sigismund Unitarian Academy, located in Kolozsvár , was a theological school founded in 1557 by the Unitarian Diocese of Transylvania.-Foundation:...
in Cluj-Napoca, in the period in the 1730s when the church was reorganized and strengthened by Mihály Lombard de Szentábrahám
Mihály Lombard de Szentábrahám
Mihály Lombard de Szentábrahám was a Hungarian Unitarian bishop. He re-laid the foundations of the Unitarian Church in Transylvania during a period of harassment until the accession of Joseph II and the return of an era of tolerance.During the period 1718-1720 the settlements were struck by famine...
, author of the church's official statement of faith, the Summa Universae Theologiae Christianae secundum Unitarios
Summa Universae Theologiae Christianae secundum Unitarios
Summa Universae Theologiae Christianae secundum Unitarios is a statement of faith of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania officially recognised by Joseph II in 1782....
.
Following the Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia.The national holiday of Romania, the Great Union Day occurring on December 1, commemorates this event...
at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Unitarian congregations were established in regions of the Old Kingdom
Romanian Old Kingdom
The Romanian Old Kingdom is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Danubian Principalities—Wallachia and Moldavia...
: the first Unitarian church in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
was founded in 1933 (its building was later demolished).
American and British Unitarians became aware of the survival of the Unitarian Church in Transylvania following the visit of Alexander Farkas to Pennsylvania in 1831 and publication of his Account of the Unitarians of Transylvania, which was communicated in Latin to the Secretary of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association
British and Foreign Unitarian Association
The British and Foreign Unitarian Association was the major Unitarian body in Britain from 1825. The BFUA was founded as an amalgamation of three older societies: the Unitarian Book Society for literature , The Unitarian Fund for mission work , and the Unitarian Association for civil rights...
and published in the The Unitarian advocate and religious miscellany in 1832. On 5 June 1899 the American Unitarian Association
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
sent a letter to Bishop Jozsef Ferencz of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church inviting the leaders of the church to the first International Association for Religious Freedom
International Association for Religious Freedom
The International Association for Religious Freedom is a charitable organization that works for religious freedom around the world. It was founded in Boston in 1900 and is the oldest international interfaith group....
(IARF) conference in 1900. With the exception of 1920, Transylvanian Unitarian leaders have been present at all IARF congresses, and, in May 1975, Communist authorities
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
allowed it to welcome the IARF's Executive Committee in the city of Cluj-Napoca. In 1994, the IARF European Conference was held in the same location. The Transylvanian Unitarian Church is also a founding member of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists
International Council of Unitarians and Universalists
The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists is an umbrella organization founded in 1995 bringing together many Unitarians, Universalists and Unitarian Universalists.The size of the member organizations varies widely...
.
Churches
The locality of Dârjiu is home to a 13th century Unitarian fortified church, which is on UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's World Heritage List. Murals, dating back to the Roman Catholic period, show King Ladislaus I of Hungary's legend: Cumans
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
broke into the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
; Duke Ladislaus, along with his cousin King Solomon
Solomon of Hungary
Solomon , King of Hungary . He was crowned as a child during his father's lifetime in order to ensure his succession, but his uncle Béla managed to dethrone his father and ascend to the throne...
, rode against them and freed a girl believed to be daughter of a Hungarian nobleman from a Cuman's hands (although she did not support this act). Further murals in the region are to be found at Unitarian churches in Mugeni
Mugeni
Mugeni is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.- Component villages :The commune is composed of eight villages:...
, Crăciunel, and smaller ones in Rugăneşti and Cristuru Secuiesc
Cristuru Secuiesc
Cristuru Secuiesc is a town in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.The town administers two villages:*Beteşti / Betfalva, part of Mugeni until 2004*Filiaş / Fiatfalva- History :...
.