Cenad


Cenad is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Cenad. The village serves as a customs point on the border with Hungary. Today's village was formed by merging Cenadu Mare and Cenadu Vechi in the 20th century.
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Geography

Cenad is located in the west of Timiș County, on the left bank of the Mureș River, on the border with Hungary. It borders Igriș to the northeast, Saravale to the southeast, Sânnicolau Mare to the south, Dudeștii Vechi to the southwest and Beba Veche to the west.

Climate

The climate is temperate continental, with weak Mediterranean influences. It is manifested by milder winters and summers that are not excessively hot, the average annual temperature being, and the average multiannual rainfall being.

History

Cenad is one of the localities with the oldest documented history in the entire Banat. The human presence is signaled on its territory since the Neolithic, about 7,000 years ago. Archaeological cultures such as Starčevo–Criș, Vinča, Tisza and Tiszapolgár, through discoveries in several places, demonstrate the consistency of human habitation at that time. From the Bronze Age there are archaeological discoveries of household objects and funerary urns. The Roman era is well represented by numerous discoveries, both pottery, tools, bricks from various constructions bearing the stamps of some Roman military units and coins issued by various Roman emperors. Later, other discoveries confirmed the Byzantine influence and the existence of a settlement from the 8th–9th centuries.

From Morisena to Cenad

Cenad was known until the 13th century as Morisena. The legionary camp of the Legio XIII Gemina was located there. In the Middle Ages, the site was a temporary capital for Huns, Avars and for Glad, a local voivode. At the beginning of Stephen I's reign, the first King of Hungary, Ahtum had his residence here as heir of Glad, and brought architects from Greece to build a church, a monastery and a palace. He was Christianised, at Vidin. His commandant Chanadinus, a former friend, rebelled and with the help of Stephen I attacked Ahtum realm. Chanadinus defeated and killed Ahtum, occupying his realm. As a reward, the king establishes a new county named Cenad bearing Chanadinus' name and having its seat at Morisena, which also receives the status of royal fortress.
In 1030 the king established a diocese led by bishop Gerard, who would become a saint of the Catholic Church after his death. He built a church and established a monastery dedicated to the Mother of God. On this occasion he brought Italian engineers, who settled here and built on the site of the old fortress of Morisena the fortress of Cenad.

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, Cenad was quite important in the Kingdom of Hungary. As proof are the visits that different kings made here over time: Ladislaus IV in 1278, Charles I in 1322, Louis I in 1366, Sigismund several times between 1394–1436 and Ladislaus V in 1459. John Hunyadi was at one time prefect of Csanád County.
Cenad was attacked and destroyed during the great Tatar invasion of 1241. It was later rebuilt by Bishop Bulcsú Lád. Cenad was the initial seat of the homonymous county, until 1526. It was part of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom between 1526 and 1551, before the Ottoman conquest. It was the center of the Sanjak of Çanad between 1551 and 1595 and again between 1598 and 1707. From 1707 to 1716, it was a kaza center within the Sanjak of Temeşvar in the Eyalet of Temeşvar. Ottoman rule there was interrupted when the area was occupied by the Principality of Transylvania between 1595 and 1598, and ended with the Austrian conquest in 1716.

18th–20th centuries

After the defeat of the Turks by the Austrians, among the conditions of the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 was the demolition of the fortresses in Banat, as was the case of Cenad. The actual demolition took place under the coordination of General Oettingen. At that time, Cenad was inhabited mostly by Serbs.
Under the Austrians, German colonizations began; the first wave settled here in 1764–1765, establishing a new locality, "German Cenad", alongside what was known as "Serbian Cenad". The two settlements later merged into a single entity: "Great Cenad".
In 1779, the town was transferred from Csanád County to Torontál County. In 1858 it became the property of the Aromanian family Nakó, who also built a castle here.
Cenad was occupied by Serbian troops in 1918 and was passed to Romania after the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.

Demographics



Cenad had a population of 3,537 inhabitants at the 2021 census, down 15.93% from the 2011 census. Most inhabitants are Romanians, larger minorities being represented by Roma, Hungarians and Serbs. For 12.58% of the population, ethnicity is unknown. By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox, but there are also minorities of Roman Catholics, Serbian Orthodox, Greek Catholics and Pentecostals. For 13% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.

Politics and administration

The commune of Cenad is administered by a mayor and a local council composed of 12 councilors. The mayor, Andrei Tița, from the Save Romania Union, has been in office since 2020. As from the 2024 local elections, the local council has the following composition by political parties:

Tourist attractions

Notable people