Church of St. Stephen Harding in Apátistvánfalva

About

St. Stephen Harding Church in Apátistvánfalva or Apátistvánfalvian Church (Hungarian: Apátistvánfalvai Harding Szent István templom, Slovene: Cerkev Svetega Štefana v Števanovci Prekmurje Slovene: Števanovska cerkev Svétoga Števana Hardinga) is a Baroque Roman Catholic Church in the village of Apátistvánfalva (Števanovci), Hungary. It is near the Hungarian-Slovenian border, in the Vendvidék region. Its patron saint Stephen Harding was an English saint and the founder of the Cistercian Order. Because this area is traditionally ethnically Slovenian, mass was offered only in Prekmurje Slovenian. Today, mass is shown in Hungarian and the local Prekmurje Slovenian dialect.

The church was built in 1785. The bishop of Vas, János Szily, aided in the construction and also supported building a school in the village. The first priest was János Marits. The new parish included Permise (now Kétvölgy ), Börgölin/Újbalázsfalva (now Apátistvánfalva), Orfalu, Rábatótfalu (now Szentgotthárd ), Szakonyfalu, and sometimes Markovci, now in Slovenia.

By the 12th century, Apátistvánfalva was a Cistercian lordship. In 1183 Béla III of Hungary founded a Cistercian abbey in Szentgotthárd. The monks arrived from the Trois-Fontaines Abbey, Champagne, France.

For many years, the Hungarian Slovenes had attended church in Rábakethely (near Szentgotthárd), Felsőszölnök, or Great Dolenci (Slovenia). In Alsószölnök where German, Slovenian, and Hungarian people lived, the believers went to Sankt Martin an der Raab in Austria (a church was also built in Alsószölnök built in 1816).

Bishop Szily supported masses being offered in the local language ( Croatian, the Prekmurje Slovene, or German ), and therefore he appointed Marits.

In 2005 Jožef Smej, the bishop of Maribor, and a few Hungarian and Slovenian priests blessed a memorial tablet in the church listing the names of Apátistvánfalvian priests and chaplains.

The church's walls are 2 metres (6.6 ft) thick, and it can hold 2,000 people. The baroque murals were created by an unknown painter. The High Altar shows the Legend of St. Stephen Harding. The Trinity is depicted above the mural.

There is an organ in the choir. The organ was made in 1894 and restored in 2007. Before the restoration, a small organ was used. The steeple has two bells.

Near the church are a school, cemetery, parish office, war memorial, and the statue of the Virgin Mary.

János Marits was of Slovenian descent ( Slovene : Janoš Maritš ) and was born in Sveti Jurij, Rogašovci (Slovenia) in around 1757 or 1767. He learned theology in Győr. His consecration was September 20, 1783. He was a clerk in Dolenci. He then was a chaplain in Rábakethely. Marits built the Apátistvánfalvian school and hired the teacher György Marits (born in Gerečavci in 1766 and died in 1810). Marits was the first priest in Apátistvánfalva. In the future, he worked in Felsőszölnök. János Marits died April 24, 1800. He spoke Slovene and German.

József Teklics was of Croatian descent and was born in Szentpéterfa on April 26, 1770. His parents, Sándor Teklits and Katalin, were petty noblemen. His consecration was on September 14, 1793. He was chaplain, then priest in Apátistvánfalva (1793–1795), Turnišče (1795–1796), chaplain and clerk in Oberwart (1796–1797), chaplain in Szepetnek (1797–1801), and finally, priest in Szőce. After 1805 he was a chaplain in Nagygencs (now Gencsapáti ) and Gaas. In 1806, he lived in Győr. He died sometime after 1824.

György Küzmics was of Slovenian descent ( Slovene : Jurij Küzmič ) and was born in Dolnji Slaveči on December 14, 1752. He learned theology in Győr and Buda. He was consecrated in Grad, Slovenia on September 13, 1779. He was then a chaplain in Rábakethely (1779–1781), a priest in Gornji Petrovci (1781–1785), and finally in Dolenci (1785–1795). He worked in Apátistvánfalva by September 26, 1795, until February 27, 1810. Küzmics was dean of Őrség. He spoke Slovenian and German.

Mátyás Ivanóczy was a Slovenian petty nobleman, not Hungarian. The old name of Ivanóczys is Kodila or Kobila. The Ivanóczy name alluded to the family provenance Ivanóc (Ivanovci). He was born in Ivanovci on February 2, 1781. His parents were Mihály Kodila and Katalin. His consecration was in 1804. He was a chaplain in Turnišče (1804–1808), Beltinci (1808–1810), and a priest in Apátistvánfalva by May 8, 1810. He died on April 18, 1834. He spoke Slovene and German.

Imre Károly Árendás was the first Hungarian priest in Apátistvánfalva. He was born in Tardos on October 22, 1798. His parents were János Árendás and Katalin Gálitz. In Vienna he learned theology, then spent three years in Szombathely. His consecration was on October 28, 1821. He was an educator by 1821, and spent 1822 in Nagycsákány (now Csákánydoroszló ) in the Batthyány-castle. He was a chaplain in Rábakethely (1822–1823), Vasszentmihály (1823–1824), Nyőgér (1824–1825.), Szepetnek (1825–1828), clerk in Kőszegszerdahely (1828), priest in Alsószölnök (1829–1834), then Apátistvánfalva (1834–1851). In 1851he was a superannuate. He died in Pásztorháza on December 30, 1857. He spoke Croatian, Slovene, and German.

János Szerényi's real name was János Czvörnyek. He was of Slovenian descent. He was born in Grad, Slovenia, on March 9, 1815. His parents were György Czvörnyek and Éva Szlámár villeins. He was consecrated on July 20, 1842. He was a chaplain in Murska Sobota (1842–1844), Črenšovci (1844–1845), Križevci (1845–1847), Bogojina (1847), Sveti Jurij, Rogašovci (1848–1852), Beltinci (1848–1852). He was a priest in Apátistvánfalva by February 1852. He died on March 31, 1869. He spoke German and Slovene.

József Ivanóczy was born in Ivanovci on March 17, 1842. His parents were Miklós Kódela and Rozália Borovnyák. His consecration was on March 9, 1868. He was a chaplain in Beltinci (1868), Felsőszölnök (1868–1869), priest in Apátistvánfalva (1869), sometimes again chaplain in Črenšovci (1869–1870), Tišina (1870–1872), Lendvavásárhely (now Dobrovnik ) (1872–1873), Felsőszölnök (1873–1878), priest in Sveti Sebeščan (1878–1896). He was in Križevci by 1897 until 1901 as a clerk. In 1901 was chaplain in Črenšovci. Died in Radkersburg June 21, 1903. He spoke Slovene and German language.

István Scsavnicsár was born in Rakičan, near Murska Sobota on August 10, 1828. His parents were István Scsavnicsár and Katalin Szecsko. His consecration was on March 8, 1855. He was a chaplain in Grad, Slovenia (1855–1856), a clerk in Gornji Petrovci (1856–1869), and priest in Apátistvánfalva by 1869. He died on January 15, 1894. He spoke Slovene and German.

Károly Fodor was born in Krajišnik, in Vojvodina, and was of Hungarian-Serbian descent. He was born on November 11, 1839. His parents were Sándor Fodor and Fáni Vresits. In the VII. and VIII. class, he was a small seminarist. He was consecrated on July 20, 1863. He was a chaplain in Felsőszölnök (1863-1865.), Tišina (1865–1868), Beltinci (1868–1869), and priest in Apátistvánfalva (1869), and at Gornji Petrovci (1869- 1894). By August 1, 1894, a new pastor in Apátistvánfalva. He died on July 24, 1908. He spoke Slovene.

István Kóczján was a Slovenian priest. He was born in Sodešinci on October 29, 1866. His parents were József Kóczján and Ilona Pertóczi. He was consecrated on July 16, 1891, and was chaplain in Grad, Slovenia (1891), after clerk (1892), a clerk in Tömörd (1892-1893), chaplain in Murska Sobota (1893–1894), a clerk in Apátistvánfalva (1894), priest in Gornji Petrovci (1894–1908), and was a priest in Apátistvánfalva by October 1, 1908. He died on January 3, 1925. His tomb is in the cemetery. He spoke Slovene.

István Tóth was born in 1955 in Felsőszölnök. Between 1970 and 1974, he attended the Secondary School of the St. Benedict Order at Pannonhalma. He pursued his studies for the priesthood at the Theology College of the Bishoprics of Győr. He died in 2001.