E-Theologos, Vol. 4, No. 1
DOI 10.2478/etheo-2013-0003
Christianity, Society and History
to 20th Century in Slavonic Territory (Slovakia)
doc. PhDr. ThDr. Daniel Slivka, PhD.
University of Prešov in Prešov, Greek Catholic Theological Faculty
ul. biskupa Gojdiča 2, 080 01 Prešov
Ancient History in Slavonic Territory
Since the early history, Slovakia situated in the central Europe is considered to be a Christian country. Her foundations are built by Christian
values originating in the Jewish-Christian tradition. The ancestors of the
Slavs were pagans who worshiped many gods and goddesses. These people worshiped predominately gods derived from their faith in natural
elements and seasons, as for example the god of thunder and lightning
known as Perun and the goddess of winter called Morena. Even nowadays
people using slang tend to say “Perun struck” meaning that there was a
strike of lightning or thunder. Moreover, in spring TV news often offer
reportages dealing with folklore traditions which are connected with the
farewell to winter. Based on this custom, lads and girls carry an effigy of
Morena through a whole village. At the end of the village they set the effigy on fire and drown it in river. This custom closes the winter season and
opens the spring one.
The origin of Christianity in the area of today’s Slovakia goes back to
the period of 2nd and 3rd century CE.1 At first, Christianity was brought by
Roman soldiers who served in this area. There is even a story about these
soldiers that connects them with the victory column of Marcus Aurelius
placed in Rome. According to this story, the Roman emperor conducted a
military expedition against the Germanic tribes. When his soldiers were
thirsty during the stay and preparation for fight, they kneeled down and
asked God for help. The enemies were firstly puzzled, but after a while
1
ŠKVARNA, D. a kol..: Lexikón slovenských dejín. Bratislava : SPN, 1999. p. 12-15.
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when it started to rain and storm followed, they scattered. This story demonstrates that Romans living in our territory were Christians.2
It is presumed that the oldest settlement of Christians in Slovakia was
in the village Iža near Komárno. Archaeologists confirmed that Christians
lived in several areas of Southern Slovakia as early as in the 4th century. In
the 6th century, when the Roman population was gradually dying out,
people started to migrate which resulted in exchange of several different
multi-ethnic groups in the area of today’s Slovakia. When these tribes left
the region of the Middle Danube and the Germanic inhabitants gradually
disappeared, the Slavic people took their place. It was the period of predominately Slavic migration and settlement. In the period of 568-670 AD,
tribes of The Avars spread across the Europe and got to the neighbourhood of the Slavs. Consequently, the long coexistence of these tribes led
to significant mutual, mostly non-violent, influence. The Avars were of
nomadic origin, so they did not lived in permanent settlements and rather
travelled with their herds across the country. They were mostly interested
in rich Byzantium and Kingdom of the Franks. The reasons for their sporadic raids on the Northern bank of Danube included material gain, war
booty as well as keeping their control over Slavs via collection of taxes.
However, the first half of the 7th century is marked by changes connected
with life in the Carpathian Basin. The Slavic people started to rise up
against the oppressing Avars and sought the ways how to defeat them.3
At these times, a merchant caravan lead by the Frankish merchant
Samo came to the region of the Middle Danube. He offered mostly a military help to the Slavic people and thus helped them to succeed in their
uprising. Therefore, in 623 the Slavs asked Samo to become their king.
Under his leadership, the Slavs were able to defeat the Avars in several
battles in the period of 623-624 and regain their freedom. However,
Samo’s Empire or also called kingdom cannot be regarded as a state. It
was a free tribal union based on a voluntary union of highly independent
tribal territories. Which was led by the Frankish merchant Samo from the
Senonian country. Despite the prohibition, the union traded weapons.
According to chronicler Fredegara. Samo’s Empire was a protective tribal
union at times when the Slavs were threatened by the Avars and later also
by the Franks. In 658 AD the empire collapsed due to its territory, internal
conflicts and the death of the authoritative king Samo. Then, the Slavs fell
once again under the rule of the Avars, but this time not as vassals.4
2
ČAMBAL, R. KOVÁR, B.: Kelti, Germáni a Rimania. In: Historická revue. Bratislava : SAHI,
12/2011. p. 28-33.
3
ŠKVARNA, D. a kol..: Lexikón slovenských dejín. Bratislava : SPN, 1999. p. 12-15.
4
MAŤOVČÍK, A. a kol.: Reprezentačný biografický lexikón Slovenska. Martin : Matica
Slovenská, 1999. p. 291.
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Middle Ages in Slavonic Territory
The collapse of the Avars Empire created favourable conditions for
missionary work. When the Avars were defeated, the Kingdom of the
Franks expanded to the largest state in the Middle Ages and thus at the fall
of the 8th century Christian missionaries started to come to the area of today’s Slovakia. Even before 795 the Slavic tribes took the advantage of the
weakened power of Avars and started to form the Upper Danubian principalities. In the region of today’s Nitra, a local Slavic dynasty established
its rule and helped to establish a new state organization. The power of this
dynasty was secured by a system of new hillforts and military groups. The
overall situation of this period was favourable for the formation of the first
Slavic principality which was at the same time a bishopric known under
the name of Principality of Nitra. The territory of this principality situated
above the river Danube was prosperous and the Slavs were for several
generations the greatest ethnic group of its inhabitants. These social as
well as economic changes reflected in formation of local and military centres known as hillforts among which Nitra town was the most important.5
The Principality of Nitra was not ruled by a king, but by a leader who
was brave, wise, and courageous. The most significant prince of Nitra was
the prince Pribina (861 AD). The court of principality followed ceremonies
of Byzantine and Frankish customs. Due to its strategic geographical position, Nitra was an attractive trading centre and meeting place of merchants
from Orient and Northern states as well as the Franks. It is known that
Pribina refused to accept Christianity from the neighbouring Franks, even
if they tried to persuade him and claimed that Christianity is a way to advancement for him and his principality. According to historical sources,
Pribina married a Frankish Christian woman who was a relative of the
Salzburg archbishop Adalram. When in 828 Pribina built the first Christian
church, which was consecrated by Adalram, he was still a pagan. This
church was built in Nitra and is the oldest Christian church in Slovakia.
Following the construction of the church, the missionary work based on
the newly formed Church institution spread through the Principality of
Nitra thanks to Frankish priests – Roman Catholicism rite.
However, this period is also known for the foundation of Principality
of Moravia in the area of today’s Czech Republic. This principality was
ruled by Mojmír I. Pribina and Mojmír I. (833 – 846) had a significant military group which was formed through decades. The expansion of the both
principalities resulted in mutual military clashes. As the Moravian prince
Mojmír I. won, the prince Pribina together with his family and armed cohort had to leave the country. The defeat of Pribina ended the sovereignty
5
ŠKVARNA, D. a kol..: Lexikón slovenských dejín. Bratislava : SPN, 1999. p. 18.
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of the Principality of Nitra. As Mojmír I. did not want to destroy inhabited
prosperous and organized political organization of the Principality of Nitra,
the process of unification of Moravia and Nitra followed. The unification
was completed in 833 with the foundation of a new territorial unit known
as Great Moravia (833 – 10. century) – Magna Moravia in Latin, ἡ µεγάλη
Μοραβία in Greek. It was the first Slavic state and the Principality of Nitra
was in the role of an associated principality. The central territory of Great
Moravia corresponds with the region of today’s Moravia – Czech Republic,
Slovakia and the Northern part of Hungary.6
The rule of the second prince Rastislav (846 – 870) meant stabilisation
of the state, because it was time of Frankish Attacks which were once
again stopped. The Frankish sources mention strong forts such as Devín
Castle or the fortified town Mikulčice that have been already found by
archaeologists. Even if in about 800 AD the territory of today’s Slovakia
was already Christianised, Rastislav asked the pope to set a bishopric and
send teachers who would teach local priests. Rastislav sought to weaken
and stop the influence of the Kingdom of Fanks which constantly sent
missionaries whom based on the language barrier the Slavs did not understand at all. However, due to good relations with the Kingdom of Franks
the pope did not respond to Rastislav’s request. As there were also byzantine priests – Byzantine Catholicism rite in the Eastern part of the country,
they suggested Rastislav to turn with his request to the Byzantine Emperor
Michael III.7 In 863 the Byzantine emperor sent to Great Moravia two educated priests – brothers Constantine (Cyril). However, in 869 Constantine
fell ill and left for monastery where he accepted monastic name Cyril and
died shortly later.8 and Methodius9 to spread Christianity in the territory of
today’s Slovakia. The important reason for this request was also the language, as Rastislav wanted to ensure that Christian faith is explained in the
language familiar to people in order to secure their understanding of the
faith. For the needs of the Slavs, Constantine created the first Slavic alphabet known as the Glagolitic alphabet. He immediately started to translate
Scriptures to the newly created language which was close to the Slavs.
Consequently, Constantine and Methodius became founders of the Slavic
literature. They also translated sacral books to Old Church Slavonic and
brought the tradition of Byzantine Rite – Byzantine Catholicism rite.10
6
ŠKVARNA, D. a kol..: Lexikón slovenských dejín. Bratislava : SPN, 1999. p. 19.
FARRUGIA, E. G.: Encyklopedický slovník kresťanského východu. Olomouc : Refugium
Velehrad-Roma s.r.o., 2008. p. 585.
8
ČÍŽEK, A.: Synaxár – životopisy svätých. Prešov : Vydal spolok biskupa Petra Pavla Gojdiča v Prešove, 1998. p. 271-277.
9
VNUK, F.: Príručný slovník kresťanstva. Bratislava : Smaragd, 2003. p. 185.
10
ŠKVARNA, D. a kol..: Lexikón slovenských dejín. Bratislava : SPN, 1999. p. 19-21.
7
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As the brothers came from Byzantine Empire and Great Moravia belonged to Church hierarchy of Rome, in 867 they went to Rome with the
consent of rulers Rastislav and Svatopluk to ask for pope’s approval to use
the Old Church Slavonic as a liturgical language. In the same year, the
pope approved the whole mission of Great Moravia. In February 868 pupils of Constantine and Methodius were consecrated in Rome. Finally, in
March 868 the pope approved to use Slavic liturgical language (Old
Church Slavonic) as the fourth language of the Western Church – Roman
Catholic rite next to Latin, Greek, and the Hebrew language which was
not done by any pope until the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965).
Moreover, in 869 Pope Adrian II appointed Methodius as the first Great
Moravian archbishop of the all Slavs.11
However, due to the constant pressure of Bavarian priests on the
pope, Constantine (Cyril) and Methodius were forced to leave the territory
of Great Moravia in 885 which caused that Great Moravia returned to the
Western - Roman Catholic rite. Later these outcasts and their followers
conducted Church-linguistic missions through the whole Eastern and
Southern Europe and created a new language called the Cyrillic scrip
which replaced the Glagolitic alphabet on the basis of which it was created. Once again Latin liturgy and German (Frankish) priests established
themselves in region of Great Moravia.
After the death of Cyril and Methodius, Benedictine monks became
their followers and contributed to the development of written culture. During the ages, monasteries were founded which became centres of culture
and education. At the turn of the 9th and 10th century the territory of Slovakia became part of the Kingdom of Hungary – Regnum Hungariae in
Latin. The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia
and Croatia (except Istria), Transylvania (in present-day Romania), Carpatho Ruthenia (in present-day Ukraine), Vojvodina (in present-day Serbia), Burgenland (in present-day Austria), and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders. The kingdom existed for almost
one thousand years (from 1000 to 1946) with the continuity being broken
for only two years (1918–1919). The most important abbeys in this territory were in Nitra on Mount Zobor and in Hronský Beňadik founded in
1075. In the abbey situated on Mount Zobor, there worked also monks St.
Andrew-Zorard and Benedict who were declared saint in 1083 as the first
Hungarian saints.12 In the 12th – 14th century they founded parish, monas-
11
VNUK, F.: Príručný slovník kresťanstva. Bratislava : Smaragd, 2003. p. 105.
MAŤOVČÍK, A. a kol.: Reprezentačný biografický lexikón Slovenska. Martin : Matica
Slovenská, 1999. p. 11.
12
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tery and canonry schools, such as the canonry school in Nitra which was
founded in 1111.13
Modern Time and Slavonic Territory
The reformation of Christianity which began in 1517 in Germany resulted in the recognition of Protestant religion also in our territory and
even by Church and state representatives. As early as in 1521 the first
Evangelical Church groups started to appear also in Slovakia. Students
studying in Germany brought the reformation teaching mostly to mining
towns such as Banská Štiavnica, Kremnica, etc. Fifty years later, there were
as much as 900 church groups in Slovakia. However, it did not take long
and the harsh anti-reformation followed and deprived Protestants of their
property as well as lives. The cruellest persecution of Evangelical Church
in Slovakia took place in Bratislava during special trials in 1671, 1673, and
1674. This period is also marked by the Executive Court of Prešov in 1687
when Evangelical priests and lords were beheaded. If Protestants wanted
to build a church in the period of anti-reformation, they had to meet many
conditions.14
It was 1782 Edict of Tolerance of Joseph II that granted religious freedom to the followers of the Evangelical church. The edict opened the period of construction of Evangelical churches. Landlords built churches and
declared priests regardless their Catholic or Evangelical persuasion.15 The
17th century was marked by political-religious wars that cost lives of several priests and monks. Under the rule of Maria Theresa in 1776, three
Catholic bishoprics – bishopric of Spiš, Rožňava and Banská Bystrica were
founded in Slovakia.16 In the 18th century many priests were also representatives of literature and carriers of education. They published their religious works and thus contributed to the development of the Slovak language. For example, canon Juraj Palkovič translated the Bible into the
Slovak language, but known are also names of Alexander Rudnay, Ján
Hollý, or Martin Hamuljak. Moreover, the first attempt to establish the first
Slovak language17 standard was also conducted by Catholic priests Anton
Bernolák. However, the Slovak language standard was codified by Ľudovít
13
ŠKVARNA, D. a kol..: Lexikón slovenských dejín. Bratislava : SPN, 1999. p. 24-31.
BORZA, P.: Kapitoly z dejín kresťanstva. Prešov : Prešovská univerzita v Prešove, GTF,
2011. p. 26-30.
15
ŠKVARNA, D. a kol..: Lexikón slovenských dejín. Bratislava : SPN, 1999. p. 91-93.
16
DLUGOŠ, F.: Vznik Spišskej diecézy a biskup Ján Vojtašák. In: Gréckokatolícka cirkev na
Slovensku vo svetle výročí. (Prešov : Prešovská univerzita v Prešove, GTF, 2011. p. 210-224.
17
VOREL, J. Andrej Bělyj a Otokar Březina (Skryté příbuzenství básníků). In: STUDIA HUMANITATIS III – ARS HERMENEUTICA, METODOLOGIE A THEURGIE HERMENEUTICKÉ
INTERPRETACE III. Ostrava : FF OU, 2010. s. 279–310.
14
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Štúr who was a professor of the Lutheran College in Bratislava and Evangelical priests Hurban and Hodža.18 In 1870, Spolok sv. Vojtecha which is
a publishing house of religious literature was founded. This publishing
house remained functioning in Slovakia until now.19
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