Diocese of Waitzen

Diocese of Waitzen

(VÄCZ or VACIENSIS).

Located in Hungary; suffragan of Gran; probably founded by King St. Stephen. Nothing is definitely known about the year of foundation or the first bishops, whose names were Clement, Lazarus, and Aaron. It is said that Lazarus was bishop from 1075-77. In 1102 lived Bishop Stephen, and beginning with Marcellus (1105-19) the series of bishops is uninterrupted. Among the bishops of Waitzen in earlier times are particularly notable: Johannes de Surdis (1363-73), ambassador of King Louis I to Italy in 1369, later on Archbishop of Gran; Vincent Szilassy (1450-73), a member of the embassy which brought the newly-elected King Matthias Corvinus from Prague to Waitzen; Wladislaw Szalkai (1514-23), chancellor of King Louis II and afterwards Archbishop of Gran; Martinus Pethe (1582-86), transferred to Kalocsa. Among the late bishops are mentioned: Sigismund Kolonits (1709-16), transferred to Vienna, and first Archbishop of Vienna; Count Michael Althann (1718-34), sent as viceroy to Sicily by Emperor Charles VI, and afterwards cardinal; Count Christopher Migazzi, cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna, twice Bishop of Waitzen (1756-57); 1762-82); Augustinus Roskoványi (1851-59), an eminent theological writer, transferred to Neutra in 1859. He was succeeded by Anthony Peitler, 1859-85, who founded the library at Waitzen. Since 1900 Count Charles Csaky is bishop. In 1514, when the Turks conquered Waitzen, the chapter ceased to exist, but was re-established in 1700. The diocese includes parts of the counties of Nograd, Pesth, Csongrád, and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, and is divided into three archdeaconries and nineteen vice-archdeaconries. Within the diocese are five titular abbeys, four provostships, and six titular provostships. The chapter has twelve canons and six titular canons. The number of parishes is 123; that of the clergy, 266. The right of patronage is exercised by 44 patrons. The diocese includes 7 monasteries and 12 nunneries, with altogether 232 inmates. The Catholic population is 757,827.

DESERICIUS, De episcopatu Vaciensi historia (Budapest, 1770); PRAY, Specimen hierarchiae Hungariae, II, 330-358; Schematismus episcopatus Vaciensis pro 1911; A katolikus Magyarorsqag (Budapest, 1902), in Hungarian.

A. ALDÁSY