Tari Edit: Pest megye középkori templomai (Studia Comitatensia 27. Szentendre, 2000.)

different regions of the country has shown the same result: the largest part of the rural stone and brick churches can be dated to the middle - second half of the 13

th century. THE FORMATION OF THE VÁC DIOCESE Though the first written record on the Vác Diocese comes from the last decade of the Árpádian Age, it must had been founded already in the 11

th century. Of course the three centuries of the Árpádian Age can not be handled as a uniform period either in the case of comitats, or in the case of dioceses. The small number of records frequently interpreted in different ways and opinions of historians formed by logical conclusions, in many cases contradict each other. The territories in question did not have constant boundaries, estates had been constantly cut and melted, or comitats, sometimes bishoprics spread their authority above them etc., so in the following summary it is impossible to separate the territories under lay or ecclesiastic control. Unfortunately, we hardly have any records on the starting 100-200 years, so even in the best case we can succeed only in drawing the main features of the process and draw conclusions from the data of the 13

th century's records back to the early times. That is how we can get a sketch on the way of organisation of the comitats and dioceses. During the Middle Ages the largest part of the modern Pest county belonged to the Vác Diocese, but the territory of the diocese significantly overstepped the present borders of Pest county. The foundation of the Vác Diocese can not be considered among the first bishopric dioceses. However, it certainly existed in 1075, because its boundaries were mentioned in the Garamszentbenedek diploma. Historians' opinions differ on the question whether it was St. István or king Péter who founded the diocese. The earliest probable time of foundation is considered to be around 1030.

418 However, researchers agree that the most probable time of foundation of the Vác Diocese is 1030-1040 and the centre of the bishopric was in Vác. After its foundation the Vác Diocese was commended to the patronage of Virgin Mary. At the start of the church organisation, at the beginning of the 11

th century, the boundaries of the comitats corresponded to the ones of the dioceses, but in the case of the Vác Bishopric and comitat Pest, this process developed in a complicated way. Comitat of Pest had not existed at that time yet. The predecessor of comitat Pest was comitat Visegrád that belonged to the Veszprém Bishoprics of the earliest foundation. King István founded the Vác Diocese only later from the upper part of the territory between the Danube and Tisza. The territory of the diocese was cut out of four neighbouring dioceses of Esztergom, Veszprém, Kalocsa and Eger. That is how the Vác Bishopric was formed out of five half comitats. Before I deal with archdeaneries mentioned above, it is important to notice, that their territory never more corresponded precisely to the territory of the comitat. Medieval comitat Pest was smaller than the modern county and was situated inside the Vác Diocese. We have definite data on two archdeaneries from its territory: the one of Pest and Szigetfő. The next archdeaneries were outside of medieval Pest county but consist of Vác Diocese Nógrád (Vác), Szolnok and Csongrád. 418 Györffy 1973. 263-264., Kristó 1988. 434. 238