SAINT ELIZABETH'S CATHEDRAL IN KASSA/ KOSICE MEDIEVAL EUROPE : WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #24

MEDIEVAL HERITAGE EU : SAINT ELIZABETH'S CATHEDRAL IN KASSA / KOSICE

I wanted to mention here that this Cathedral was in Hungary for generations and that your ancestor's birth, marriage, or death records may be in Slovakia (the present country) as a result in the changes enforced after World War II.

Saint Elizabeth's cathedral is in the Gothic architecture style. This website has extensive information on the architecture of the building as it is today. It all started with a smaller church built by German settlers and dedications to other saints, such as Saint Michael. It might have been a Slavic- Greek Orthodox church dedicated to Saint Nicholas as well. Eventually a larger and more important structure was built.

Excerpt: Beginning of construction of the church of St. Elizabeth probably began around 1390. King Sigismund of Luxemburg, Bishop of Eger, and especially wealthy townspeople with the town council were involved in this work. In addition, in 1392 and 1402, Pope Boniface IX issued bulls, thanks to which all pilgrims who contributed to the construction of the church had their sins forgiven, and the relic of Christ’s blood could be kept in the church. The first stage of construction work lasted until around 1420. During it, the perimeter walls of the nave and the first two floors of the western towers were erected. In the years 1420-1440, the octagonal superstructure of the Sigismund’s tower was made and the walls of the nave were raised. During this period, the remains of the old church of St. Michael, which was somehow enclosed with new walls, were finally demolished.

Click on the label Wonderful-Hungary to bring up all posts on this theme.

FERENC RAKOCZI : and a post from EUROPE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST BLOG

EUROPE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST : MANY HAPPY RETURNS FERENCE RAKOCZKI : REBURIAL 2020 A very well written essay, the author finds he is following the reburial of this Hungarian Hero of the 1848 Revolution.  An excellent history of what happened in Hungarian history...

The author tells the story of the burial and movement of the hero's ashes... 

Excerpts: "While Kossuth is synonymous with the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, his name is not eponymous with an entire war for independence. That accolade was reserved for Rakoczi because of his leadership in the fight to wrest Hungary away from Habsburg rule. Rakoczi's War of Independence lasted from 1703-1711...

The defeat sent Rakoczi and his closest followers into permanent exile. His life ended twenty-four years after his war for independence. Far away from his Hungarian homeland, Ference II Rakoczi drew his last breath on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, 90 miles from Constantinople in the Turkish town of Rodosto.  Rakoczi's ashes eventually came to rest at Lazarist Monastery in Constantinople."

(However, when Austria took over, there was a push to return his ashes to Budapest, and then to Kosice. There would be a crypt waiting for him...)

Excerpt: "In retrospect, the resurrection of a Rakoczi cult seems like a quintessentially Hungarian thing to do. They celebrated a lost war, for a star crossed cause, led by a long dead war hero who spent his last twenty-five years in exile..."

Rokoczi's ashes were taken from Budapest to Kosice and to Saint Elizabeth Cathedral.

An excellent blog! Follow along as the author takes us to the crypt. 

Note that Kosice in Slovakia was Kassa in Hungary.  Saint Elizabeth is the largest cathedral in Slovakia. 

SISTER SARA SALKAHAZI BEATIFICATION FOUR YEARS AGO

This was passed onto me. It's from a March 2010 church bulletin from St. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood California.


SISTER SARA SALKAHAZI: A MODEL OF SACRIFICE


"Sara Salkahazi was born in Kosice (at that time a part of Hungary) on May 11, 1899, now her FEAST DAY.  In 1929, she entered the Society of Sisters of Social Service in Budapest.  There she vowed her entire life to the service of God with the motto "Alleluia!  Here I am!  Send me!  Her love of Christ was manifested in diverse areas of social service, in Catholic movements, and by authoring a variety of literary works.  She was a talented teacher, journalist, and community organizer.


"In 1943, she consciously offered her life for the Society, particularly for the weak and ill, in case the Sisters of the Church were persecuted.  On December 27, 1944 the Hungarian Nazis surrounded the Home of Working Women where Sara was in charge.  She was arrested along with a co-worker and a group of Jewish refugees she was hiding.  That same evening, all of them were stripped naked and shot, their bodies falling into the icy River Danube.  Before her execution, Sister Sara knelt down, facing her executioners and made a great sign of the cross.  God accepted the sacrifice of her life.


The Eucharistic Celebration of Sister Sara's Beautification was in Budapest
on September 17, 2006.

I'm also linking to an article/interview about her from Catholic Online, and Cardinal Peter Erdo.

Note Septmeber 2019.  Clicking on the title of this old post should take you to the link.