On 8 October 2025, following the Székesfehérvár event, the presentation of the Lexicon of Bishops 1804–1918 (Magyarország egyházmegyéi és püspökei (1804–1918). Intézménytörténeti és életrajzi lexikon I–IV (CST I/7) szerk. Szirtes Zsófia–Tusor Péter–Rupert Klieber, Budapest 2025) took place in the ceremonial hall of the Central Seminary in Budapest. The volume was published as part of the large-scale project of the Fraknói Research Group. The basic research underpinning the publication had already been carried out within the framework of the Lendület programme of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, concluded in 2017. The first results of this research were published in German in Berlin (Duncker & Humblot, 2020); the present, revised, expanded and updated Hungarian edition represents an advanced continuation of the earlier academic project.
The numerous attendees – including students of Pázmány Péter Catholic University – were welcomed by Bishop-Rector Levente Balázs Martos (Central Seminary) and Dean Nándor Birher (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pázmány Péter Catholic University). Auxiliary Bishop Martos noted that he was able to hold the freshly published volume in his hands on the very day of its release, as the Fraknói Research Group’s Budapest base is located in the Seminary building itself. (In its time, under the presidency of Cardinal Lajos Haynald and through the efforts of Vilmos Fraknói, the Vatican Hungarian Historical Commission also held several of its sessions in the same Chapter Hall.) The bishop emphasized that the exemplary lives of the predecessors presented in the lexicon provide him with true guidance.
Dean Birher highlighted that, as he has personally experienced, artificial intelligence will not be able – for a long time, if ever – to offer such a coherent synthesis and scholarly evaluation of the key figures of 19th-century Hungarian church history as the authors of this lexicon have done.
On behalf of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Zsolt Marton of Vác – former rector of the Central Seminary – also addressed the event. Drawing on the example of his own diocese and its former bishops, he emphasized the lexicon’s significance in deepening and preserving local Catholic identity. He added that unlike most reference works, this volume can be read continuously, since it successfully combines academic precision, synthetic perspective, and readability. Among his examples from the history of the Diocese of Vác, he highlighted the well-crafted biography of Piarist Bishop Konstantin Schuster, namesake of the main square of the episcopal city.
The scholarly merits of the volume were assessed by László Csorba, former Director of the Hungarian National Museum and of the Hungarian Academy in Rome. With an engaging presentation, he placed the biographical entries within the broader context of 19th-century liberalism and Catholicism, the tensions between Catholic autonomy, the liberal state, and royal patronage, as well as the long-debated issue of clerical stipends (congrua). He drew attention to the lexicon’s distinctive arrangement – by ecclesiastical provinces rather than alphabetically – which allows readers to gain an organically structured and historically accurate picture of the Hungarian episcopate of the period.
A speech was also delivered – through the interpretation of Zsófia Szirtes – by Professor Rupert Klieber (University of Vienna), head of the international project. He explained that the revised Hungarian edition of the Bischofslexikon, first published in Berlin in 2020, contains detailed biographies of 128 bishops and outlines 170 episcopal tenures, as every fourth prelate advanced to another, usually more prosperous diocese. This allows, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of the Hungarian high clergy, providing valuable insight into the complex structure of the country.
“The lexicon is methodologically outstanding in several respects,” emphasized the Austrian church historian. “It offers a comprehensive overview of various source materials: the diocesan archives located in present-day Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania, processed by eminent scholars from all three countries; as well as the records of the central archives in Vienna, Budapest, and Rome, and the press sources of the Austrian National Library, now available digitally and evaluated by researchers of the University of Vienna. Another major merit of the work is that it does not confine itself to state and ecclesiastical politics – such as privileges, foundations, or the recurring debates around marriage and education laws. It also integrates cultural and social-historical perspectives, and makes a conscious effort not to recount history as that of men alone.”
Professor Klieber also noted that beyond their often princely lifestyles – marked by summer residences, travels, and medical treatments – the bishops made wide-ranging and socially beneficial use of their considerable economic resources. The main field of investment, understandably, was education: 87% of the bishops supported schools, which in Hungary were largely under ecclesiastical supervision. This was followed by increasingly professional forms of charity (68%). Many prelates also contributed to scientific (34%) and cultural life (27%), while more than half (60%) acted as patrons of architecture. About a quarter placed particular emphasis on spirituality or supported flourishing female congregations, and nearly one third (31%) maintained special closeness with the Pope and the Holy See. (The full text of Professor Klieber’s speech is available here in Hungarian and here in German.)
The event concluded with the words of Péter Tusor, co-editor of the lexicon and head of the Fraknói Research Group, alongside Zsófia Szirtes and Rupert Klieber. Tusor explained that in the title Lexicon of Bishops 1804–1918, the indication “I–IV” refers not to volume numbers but to chapters, corresponding to the ecclesiastical provinces of Esztergom, Kalocsa, and Eger, and to the exempt Archabbey of Pannonhalma. A fifth, separate volume will later cover the Greek Catholic dioceses and bishops, expected to appear in early 2026. This closing volume will also include an alphabetical concordance for all five chapters, prepared by Olivér Kőhalmi.
Among his acknowledgments, Tusor emphasized the key role played by his former student, Zsófia Szirtes, a graduate in history and German studies, in the success of the nearly fifteen-year undertaking. As a member of the Fraknói Research Group – operating at Pázmány Péter Catholic University with the support of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) and ELKH/HUN-REN, under the joint leadership of Professor Tamás Fedeles (University of Pécs) – she served as the Hungarian project coordinator of the international enterprise.
Tusor further pointed out that within the broader international ecclesiastical-historical project aiming to compile similar lexicons for the entire Habsburg Monarchy (1804–1918), only the Hungarian volume has so far been completed. In his concluding remarks, he referred to the coincidence that the event, held on the feast of Our Lady of Hungary, followed a public demonstration in front of the university’s main building on Mikszáth Square the previous evening:
“We express our solidarity with the Dean regarding recent and yesterday’s developments. Between 2009 and 2011, a less fortunate turn occurred in the life of the Faculty, and partly in that of the University. We are now witnessing its predictable consequences. In this contrast, today’s book presentation most clearly reveals what the true scholarly identity and mission of the Faculty of Humanities of the Catholic University in Budapest really are,” he stated on behalf of himself and the Fraknói Research Group.
The musical accompaniment evoking the atmosphere of the 19th century was provided by István Bácskai, Director of Gondolat Publishing House, who performed Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3. At the end of the event, the participating authors and collaborators – including student members of the CPH Hungarica–Vaticana research group – received their complimentary copies amid enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Encouraged by the success of the project, and in connection with the recent rise of Mohács-era studies, work has begun under the direction of Professor Tamás Fedeles, in collaboration with the Collegium Professorum Hungarorum, on the Lexicon of Bishops of the Jagiellonian Period (reported earlier here).
The published volume is available for download here.
The German edition can be accessed here.
The full video recording of the book launch and all speeches can be viewed below.
