10th Fraknói Academy – Nagyvárad

       Fraknói-centenary 1924–2024

The venue and theme of the Fraknói Academy, held for the tenth time, is justified by the centenary of the death of Vilmos Fraknói (1843–1924) in 2024. Vilmos Fraknói was the main organizer of Hungarian historical research in the Vatican following the gradual opening of the Holy See's collections from 1881. He initiated the Monumenta Vaticana Hungariae, and in the 1890s, using the income from his ecclesiastical benefices, he established the Hungarian Historical Institute in Rome as a private institution. He did not work alone; several others joined the efforts. The roles of his collaborators are important, yet their activities in Rome have not been thoroughly examined by historical scholarship.There is also much to be said about Fraknói Vilmos's years in Rome, his plans, and especially his legacy. The Fraknói Academy, established in 2015 at Pázmány University under the MTA Momentum Program and previously held in the summer, has presented his life, his extensive scientific activities, and his contemporaries at the forefront of Vatican research. On May 2, in the grand hall of the episcopal palace in Nagyvárad, László Böcskei, Bishop of Nagyvárad; Péter Tusor, founding curator of the Fraknói Academy; Viktor Kanász, on behalf of Nándor Birher, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE BTK); and academician László Solymosi welcomed the audience, which included participants mainly from PPKE BTK, as well as from Pécs, Szeged, Kolozsvár, and Nagyvárad. Mons. József Fodor, episcopal vicar and grand provost of the cathedral chapter of Nagyvárad, shared his thoughts on the scholarly abbot-canon. Following this, together with Bishop László Böcskei, they presented Fraknói Vilmos's work, "The Liberation of Nagyvárad in 1692 and Pope Innocent XII " reprinted for the occasion with a recommendation from the bishop.

The first session began thereafter, focusing on the early days of Hungarian historical research in the Vatican, exploring new data and perspectives. Péter Tusor's presentation centered on the institutionalization of Hungarian historical research in the Vatican initiated by Vilmos Fraknói in the 1880s. Fraknói's private historical research institute, established in his Roman villa in 1894, sought a solid legal and financial foundation with the help of the Nagyvárad chapter, diocese, and episcopal body in 1905 and again in 1911–1912. Both attempts were accompanied by public controversy and did not succeed. The Hungarian Historical Institute in Rome was established with state support in 1913. Kornél Szovák's presentation highlighted Vilmos Fraknói's place and role in the history of Hungarian medieval studies. Using sources from Fraknói's early career, he emphasized Fraknói's conscious commitment to his research subjects, the critical appreciation of his works, and his unwavering philosophical convictions. Szovák also noted Fraknói's efforts in publishing sources and choosing his historical writing genre deliberately. He traced Fraknói's long-term impact on research history and his extensive Vatican source research, including the rediscovery of some sources. Tamás Fedeles, through Zsófia Szirtes, reviewed László Fejérpataky's role in Vatican research. Fejérpataky, known as a renewer of Hungarian auxiliary sciences, especially diplomacy and paleography, played a significant role in the first two volumes of the Monumenta Vaticana Hungariae series initiated by Fraknói. Between 1883 and 1886, he spent several months in the Vatican collections, resulting in the publication of documents from Cardinal Gentilis de Monteflorum's Hungarian legation (1885) and the accounts of 14th-century papal tax collectors in the Carpathian Basin (1887).

The second session focused on the Vatican activities of Fraknói Vilmos's contemporaries. Viktor Kanász presented Lipót Óváry's Neapolitan church history research, revealing how the young editor joined Garibaldi's army and what motivated his Neapolitan Hungarian-related research in the early modern period. Although Óváry conducted research in many Italian collections outside Naples, he never researched in the Vatican archives and library despite his efforts, yet he made significant contributions to the historiography of Vatican research through his work on the Farnese archives of Naples. Gábor Nemes gave a presentation on József Lukcsics, one of Fraknói's students and collaborators. With the support of Bishop Károly Hornig of Veszprém, Fraknói involved Lukcsics in the work of the Monumenta Romana Episcopatus Vesprimiensis. During his four-year stay in Rome, Lukcsics contributed significantly to the third and fourth volumes of the Veszprém document collection and reviewed volumes from the Apostolic Camera archive. Tamás Kruppa's presentation focused on Endre Veress's Vatican research, which began shortly after Fraknói. Veress's work on 16th-17th century Transylvania and the Principality of Transylvania placed him on the map of Hungarian and international scholarship. He published the extensive material he gathered mainly in biographical monographs and several series, some of which he initiated, between 1901 and 1948.The third session, part of the Bischofslexikon/Bishop's Lexicon project, focused on 19th-century research and the history of the diocese. Austrian project partner Professor Rupert Klieber's evening lecture, presented by András Forgó, discussed the Hungarian episcopate between 1804 and 1918. Fraknói Vilmos, as bishop-elect of Arbe from December 1889, had multiple connections to the hierarchy.

The fourth session examined Vilmos Fraknói's role as the "Hungarian Ranke" in establishing modern medieval and early modern research in Hungary. Analyzing his newly completed oeuvre bibliography provided insights into his 18th-19th century work as well.György Rácz spoke about Fraknói Vilmos as the founder of Hungarian medieval studies. He emphasized Fraknói's role in increasing the domestic source base through his Hungarica research. As the director of the National Museum's Széchényi Library from 1875, he enabled the transfer of family archives to the museum's manuscript collection, paralleling Pauler Gyula's work at the National Archives. Gábor Nemes analyzed Fraknói Vilmos's oeuvre based on his bibliography. Scientometric analysis revealed 63 volumes, 199 studies, 230 lexicon entries, 15 reviews, and nearly 100 scientific-political and public writings, showcasing his impressive body of work. Nemes enriched our understanding of Fraknói's methods and scientific creed through his analysis of Fraknói's reviews and pseudonymously written articles, exploring the reasons for such publications.

The final two sessions presented Fraknói's connections to Nagyvárad and Transylvania, his activities as Secretary-General of the Academy, the controversies surrounding his work, and his journalism and death. Attila Lakatos-Balla discussed Fraknói's literary canonry in Nagyvárad and his abbacy in Szentjobb. He demonstrated that contrary to popular belief, Fraknói received significantly less income from Szentjobb than expected, with his patronage primarily supported by the Nagyvárad stall's benefits. In her presentation, Zita Lőrincz discussed Vilmos Fraknói's view of Transylvania. The history of Transylvania has long been intertwined with the history of the Hungarian people in the national consciousness. In his scholarly publicism, Transylvania was not a primary focus for Vilmos Fraknói; his works were free from denominational bias, striving for a consciously objective perspective. Julianna Orsós undertook a historical analysis of science policy. In her lecture, she based her evaluation on Albert Berzeviczy, who served as President of the Academy of Sciences for over thirty years, and who considered Vilmos Fraknói's most significant debates to be with Kálmán Thaly, Lajos Kossuth, and Henrik Marczali. The presenter demonstrated that the designation of Fraknói's debate partners—and, by extension, his most significant research topics—was shaped by the scientific policy expectations of the era. Attila Hőgye and Csongor Cziráki jointly presented on Vilmos Fraknói's activities as Secretary General, which they primarily showcased through his correspondence and official reports. They discussed the path Fraknói took within the Academy and what led to his election as Secretary General, highlighting several notable and interesting issues from the ten years he served in that role. Róbert Oláh P.'s presentation focused on Fraknói's public writings, a less well-known segment of the great scholar's career. Between 1870 and 1920, Fraknói wrote more than thirty articles, mainly for Magyar Sion and Budapesti Szemle. He addressed three major topics: the debates on Catholic autonomy in the 1870s, the 1882 education law, and World War I, particularly Italy's entry into the war. His writings were characterized by clear situational assessments and action-based responses to outlined problems. The final presenter, Viktor Kanász, discussed the last years and early legacy of Vilmos Fraknói. He covered the period from Fraknói's 80th birthday, examining the relentless work of the elderly priest: the surgeries he underwent, his housing issues due to income losses mainly caused by Trianon, his final research, and manuscripts. After detailing his death and funeral, attendees learned about the circumstances of Fraknói's memorial construction and reviewed visual sources depicting the "star historian," reflecting the depth and diversity of his contemporary reputation.

After the academic presentations, on the third day, Attila Lakatos-Balla and Bishop László Böcskei guided participants through the bishop's palace and the cathedral, concluding the Xth Fraknói Academy with a tour of the castle and city. The organization of the conference was made possible by the support of Nándor Birher, Dean of PPKE BTK, Bishop László Böcskei, and the Diocese Nagyvárad. The realization and execution of the Fraknói Memorial Conference were assisted by the staff (Centrum Patachich Zarándok és Kulturális Központ) of the Nagyvárad bishopric: Anita Méhész-Géczi-Erdei, Attila Lakatos-Balla and Tünde, historian-museologists, archivist Sándor Csorba, and János Kristófi, the cathedral's organist. The written versions of the presentations, supplemented with other publications on Fraknói's biography, will be presented by the Fraknói Research Group on November 20, the anniversary of his death, in the ceremonial hall of the Central Seminary in Budapest.

 

 

PROGRAM

GALLERY: 1. nap, 2. nap, 3. nap