The Dioceses and Bishops of Hungary (1804–1918). Institutional and Biographical Encyclopaedia V, eds. Zsófia Szirtes–Péter Tusor–Tamás Véghseő–Rupert Klieber, collaborator: Olivér Kőhalmi, Budapest 2026 (221 pp. + [18] pp. annotated b/w plates + [1] p. map supplement).
The new year sees the continuation – once again, at Epiphany (cf. here) – of the Bishops’ Lexicon (I–IV, CST I/7), published in 2025 and devoted to nineteenth-century Latin-rite prelates, with a volume presenting the biographies of the bishops of the Greek Catholic dioceses of Hungary. Spanning 210 pages, the book introduces 31 hierarchs from seven dioceses: Mukachevo, Prešov, Hajdúdorog, (Alba Iulia–)Făgăraș, Oradea, Gherla and Lugoj. (The eighth Greek Catholic diocese of the Kingdom of Hungary, Križevci, falls – together with the Roman Catholic dioceses of Zagreb, Bosnia-Đakovo, and Senj-Modruš – within the remit of Croatian historiography as part of the Vienna-based project.)
As with Chapters I–IV – presented on 8 October 2025 in the ceremonial hall of the Central Seminary and structured by Latin-rite ecclesiastical provinces (with a separate chapter for the Territorial Abbey of Pannonhalma) – the introductory descriptions of the Greek Catholic dioceses and the bishops’ biographies in Chapter V follow a uniform structure and methodological approach. Unlike the first volume, however, the dioceses here are classified and arranged according to the Greek rite rather than by ecclesiastical provinces. Beyond the strictly ecclesiastical (Catholic) historical narrative, the biographical entries also incorporate perspectives from political, cultural, social, economic, and nationality history. The varied application of these approaches, together with the evaluation of episcopal careers, makes the lexicon suitable not only for scholarly use but also for a broader readership.
The usability of the volume is enhanced by indexes of personal and place names. Several key figures and locations featured in Chapter V – constituting an independent volume of the Bishops’ Lexicon – are visually brought to life through a selection of archival photographs. The unified use of Chapters I–V of the two-volume lexicon (CST I/7 and I/9) and easier navigation are further facilitated by lists compiled according to three criteria: alphabetical order/page number, order of birth, and year of first appointment to office.
The Greek Catholic Bishops’ Lexicon is the result of genuine teamwork, involving 16 authors and collaborators. The editors are Zsófia Szirtes and Péter Tusor on behalf of the Fraknói Research Group, Tamás Véghseő from the Greek Catholic Heritage Research Group, and Rupert Klieber of the University of Vienna. Olivér Kőhalmi served as collaborator; Márton Varsa as proofreader; and the indexes were prepared by György Sági, Csongor Cziráki, Attila Hőgye and Olivér Kőhalmi. Alongside the diocesan introductions and biographical entries authored or co-authored throughout by Tamás Véghseő, the volume also reflects the contributions of Margit Balogh (introductions), Jaroslav Coranic (Eperjes), Volodymyr Fenych and Viktor Kichera (Munkács), Blanka Gorun-Kovács (Gyulafehérvár-Fogaras, Szamosújvár), György Gorun-Kovács (Nagyvárad, Lugos) and György Janka (Hajdúdorog).
The completion of the second volume of the Bishops’ Lexicon 1804–1918 also marks the beginning of a project spanning a millennium of history. Following the model of the German research project associated with Erwin Gatz, a biographical lexicon of Hungarian bishops from 1001 to 1993 will be produced. The planned volumes are: Bishops’ Lexicon 1918–1993; 1711–1804; 1605–1711; 1526–1605; 1458–1526; 1302–1458 and 1001–1302. In preparation for the Mohács anniversary year, the manuscript of the lexicon covering the Hunyadi–Jagiellonian period is already nearing completion (see the report by editor-in-chief Tamás Fedeles on this and on the project as a whole).
The complete volume, published jointly by the Vilmos Fraknói Research Group, the Gyula Moravcsik Research Institute and the Collegium Professorum Hungarorum, and issued by Gondolat Publishing House, is available as a free downloadable e-book via the link provided here.
