Archdiocese of Esztergom–Budapest


The Archdiocese of Esztergom–Budapest is a Latin Church archdiocese and primatial seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary and the metropolitan see of one of Hungary's four Latin Church ecclesiastical provinces.
The archdiocese's archbishop retains the title of "Primate", which gives this see precedence over all other Latin Hungarian dioceses, including the fellow Metropolitan Archbishops of Eger, Kalocsa–Kecskemét and Veszprém, but the incumbent may be individually outranked if one of them holds a cardinalate. Its current Archbishop is Péter Erdő.

Duality and special churches

Its double name reflects that it has cathedral sees in two major Hungarian cities, the old primatial archiepiscopal seat Esztergom and the present national capital Budapest. These two prominent cities fall under the tutelage of one archdiocese due to Hungary's early history wherein Esztergom was one of the former capitals of the Kingdom of Hungary.
The archiepiscopal Cathedral and primatial see is Nagyboldogasszony és Szent Adalbert főszékesegyház, in Esztergom-Vár.
The co-cathedral, a minor basilica and World Heritage Site, is St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest-Szentistvánváros.
The archdiocese has a second minor basilica, Kisboldogasszony-templom, Máriaremete, in Budapest.

Statistics

As of 2016, it pastorally served 1,249,000 Catholics covering 1,543 km2 in 188 parishes and 28 missions with 435 priests, 23 deacons, 725 lay religious and 38 seminarians.

Ecclesiastical province

The Metropolitan's suffragan sees are the Latin bishops of:
The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Hajdúdorog, until then also its suffragan, was elevated in 2015 to Hungarian Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Hajdúdorog, now the Metropolitan in chief of the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, of Byzantine Rite.

History

It was founded in 1001 by Stephen I of Hungary, as the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Esztergom, on Hungarian territories split off from the dioceses of Nitra, Passau and Regensburg. It had a uniquely prominent status, giving the archbishop the title of prince primate, and the privilege of crowning the kings of Hungary.
The Cathedral of Saint Adalbert was consecrated in 1010. The archdiocese lost territory in 1227 to establish the Diocese of Milcovia, but in 1542 gained territory back from the suppressed Diocese of Milcovia.
The archbishop and chaplaincy relocated to Nagyszombat in 1543 before Esztergom fell to the Ottoman Empire. Saint Nicolas Church served as the cathedral. Ottoman occupation of the archdiocese made pastoral care difficult and Protestant teachings spread. Archbishop Miklós Oláh re-established the Esztergom cathedral school at Nagyszombat, and in 1561 invited the Jesuits to administer it.
In 1619, Primate Péter Pázmány founded the Pázmáneum in Vienna as a seminary to train Hungarian candidates for the priesthood. in 1776, the archdiocese was split to establish the suffragan sees of Banská Bystrica, Rožňava and Spiš. In 1820, the episcopal see returned to Esztergom. Work began to restore the cathedral in 1822. The upper church was consecrated in 1856 and saw the premier of Franz Liszt's Missa solennis.
In June 1912, the archdiocese lost territory with the establishment of the Eparchy of Hajdúdorog and in May 1922 to establish the Apostolic Administration of Trnava. In 1938 the 34th International Eucharistic Congress was held in Budapest. In 1948 Cardinal József Mindszenty was arrested and imprisoned by the government. Freed during the short-lived Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Mindszenty was granted political asylum at the United States embassy in Budapest when the Russians invaded.
In August 1991, the archdiocese received a papal visit from Pope John Paul II. Diocesan boundaries were redrawn in 1993 and the Archdiocese renamed the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Esztergom–Budapest, having gained territory from Diocese of Székesfehérvár and Diocese of Vác. St. Stephen's Basilica was named co-cathedral.

List of archbishops

  • Dominic
  • Sebastian
  • Radla
  • Anastaz-Astrik
  • Sebestyén
  • Benedict
  • Nehemiah
  • Acha
  • Seraphin
  • Lawrence
  • Marcellus
  • Felician
  • Macarius
  • Kökényes
  • Martyrius
  • Lucas
  • Nicholas
  • Job
  • Ugrin de genere Csák
  • Kalán de genere Bár-Kalán
  • John
  • Thomas
  • Robert
  • Matthias de genere Rátót
  • Stephen de genere Báncsa
  • Benedict
  • Philip Türje
  • Miklós de genere Kán
  • Benedict
  • Miklós de genere Kán
  • Peter Kőszegi de genere Héder
  • Lodomer
  • Gregory Bicskei
  • Mihály de genere Bő
  • Thomas
  • Boleslav Piast
  • Miklós Dörögdi
  • Csanád Telegdi
  • Nicholas Vásári
  • Miklós Apáti
  • Tamás Telegdi
  • János De Surdis
  • Demeter
  • János Kanizsai
  • Péter
  • László Csetneki
  • György Hohenlohe
  • János Borsnitz
  • György Pálóczy
  • Dénes Szécsi
  • János Vitéz
  • Johann Beckenschlager
  • John of Aragon
  • Hippolytus Cardinal Este
  • Tamás Bakócz
  • György Szatmári
  • László Szalkai
  • Giorgio Martinuzzi
  • Miklós Oláh
  • Antal Verancsics
  • Miklós Telegdy
  • István Fehérkövi
  • János Kutasi
  • Ferenc Forgách
  • Péter Pázmány, S.J.
  • Imre Lósi
  • György Lippay
  • György Szelepcsényi
  • György Széchényi
  • Leopold Karl, Graf von Kollonitsch
  • * Coadjutor Archbishop: Cardinal Christian August of Saxe-Zeitz
  • Christian August of Saxe-Zeitz
  • Imre Esterházy
  • Miklós Csáky
  • Ferenc Barkóczy
  • Vacant
  • József Batthyány
  • Vacant
  • Karl Ambrosius of Austria
  • Vacant
  • Alexander Rudnay
  • Vacant
  • József Kopácsy
  • János Hám
  • János Scitovszky
  • János Simor
  • Kolos Ferenc Vaszary, O.S.B.
  • János Csernoch
  • Jusztinián György Serédi, O.S.B.
  • The Venerable József Mindszenty
  • *Endre Hamvas
  • *Mihály Endrey
  • *Artur Schwarz-Eggenhoffer
  • *Imre Szabó
  • *Imre Kisberk
  • *László Lékai
  • László Lékai
  • László Paskai.
;Metropolitan Archbishops of Esztergom–Budapest
  • László Paskai
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Imre Asztrik Várszegi, O.S.B.
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Vilmos Dékány, Sch. P.
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Archbishop Csaba Ternyák
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Antal Spányi
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Miklós Beer
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Gáspár Ladocsi
  • Péter Erdő, created Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Nuova, also President of Hungarian Episcopal Conference, President of Council of European Bishops' Conferences ; previously Titular Bishop of Puppi as Auxiliary Bishop of Székesfehérvár
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: László Kiss-Rigó
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: György Udvardy
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: János Székely
  • * Auxiliary bishop Ferenc Cserháti, Titular Bishop of Centuria
  • * Auxiliary bishop György Snell, Titular Bishop of Pudentiana

    Auxiliary episcopate

  • * Auxiliary Bishop: István Bagi
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Iván Pálos
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: György Zemplén
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Mihály Endrey-Eipel
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Imre Szabó
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Blessed Zoltán Lajos Meszlényi
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Stefano Breyer
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Lajos Rajner
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Josef Medard Kohl, O.S.B.
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Paulus Palásthy
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: József Boltizár
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Joseph Szabó
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Giuseppe Durguth
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Emerico Tóth
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Jozef Viber
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Joseph Krautmann
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Peter de Ürményi
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Giovanni Benyovszky
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Istvan Gosztonyi
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Karol Perényl
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Nikolaus Rauscher
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: József Király
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Márton Görgey
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Ladislaus Luzenszky
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Stephanus Nagy
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Georgius Richvaldszky
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Anton Révay
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Paulus de Révay
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Ferenc Zichy
  • * Auxiliary Bishop: Giorgio Trivulzio, B.