Dr. Péter Balázs: Guide to the archives of Hungary (Budapest, 1976)

A Pécsi Püspökség Levéltára (Pécs Episcopal Archives)

records separately. Under the bishop Klimó (1751-1777) the episcopal archives had a separate room already. An important change came under the bishop Szepesy (1828-1838), who removed the archives to the second floor of the old tower (an astronomical tower under Klimó) and united it with the earlier archives of the vicar and the Court Christian. At the same time he ordered the arrangement of the archives. Inside the original collections the records were arranged chronologically. The description is due to J anos LECHNER and Antal PEITLER. By the end of the century also the first floor was occupied by the archives, nay to-day even the third floor room is crowded. There are several lacks in the archival material, but we know but one major damage concretely: The author of the "Recensio Universi Cleri Dioecesis Quinque-Ecclesiensis" József BRÜSZTLE carried many valuable documents away in order to write his work, and after his death no one cared for their restitution. The archival material totals 290 running metres. As to provenance, it is made up of the records of the episcopal office, the personal papers of the bishops and the archival group of the Diocesen Inspectorate of Schools. The material of the episcopal office contains several archival subgroups, among them four charters prior to Mohács. The oldest one dates from 1259 (the change of tithes of the bishop Bertalan with the Master of the Slavonian Templars). There are 25 authentic copies, or transcripts, respectively, prior to Mohács and 71 pieces from the period of Turkish occupation. They deal with affairs of property almost without exception. Matters of church administration come across after 1720 only, such as records on the nomination of bishops, royal decrees and mandates, the official correspondence of bishops; personal affairs of the priests, recommendations, nominations, transfers, inductions, dispensations, disciplinary actions without a process, testaments; the establishment of parishes, vicarages and schools; the building and conservation of churches, chapels, statues and schools; the affairs of ecclesiastical institutions and religious societies; the stipends and dues of church personnel; the affairs of clerical and church property; accounts of parishes, churches and schools, and not in the least population censuses. The various visitations of the parishes deserve mention. A large part is made up by the law-suits of the Court Christian. There are also episcopal circulars, registers and duplicates of such. The records of the episcopal office are the largest and most valuable part