Hermann István: A veszprémi egyházmegye igazgatása a 18. században 1700-1777 - A Veszprém Megyei Levéltár kiadványai 37. (Veszprém, 2015)

VII. Mutatók

The Administration of the Diocese of Veszprém

the first - unsuccessful - attempt to divide the ruridecanal district covering the huge Somogy County. This finally happened in 1745.

The third stage of the establishment of the ecclesiastical polity lasted for about 15 years from 1745.

This stage was also characterized by a growing intensity of the establishment of new parishes, which was made possible by several phenomena. The groundwork of the previous decades resulted in a growth of the pastoral positions, which led to the reestablishment of the seminar in the diocese in 1745. These two factors together ensured the recruitment of new priests in the diocese. In the second half of the 1740s, 22 new parishes were established within 5 years, and in the following decade a further 30 parishes recruited their own priests. After 1745, the senior bishopry focused its attention on the previously parish-less territories, namely the southern parts of Fejér and Somogy Counties. As a result, by 1750 the main structure of the network of parishes was formed in the whole territory of the diocese, which served as a resource for the bishopry in the 1750s to start creating a denser network of the parishes in certain areas, primarily in Zala County, where the Catholic presence was greatest in terms of both number and proportion. This is supported by the fact that more than half the parishes established in this decade, i.e. 18, were founded in this area.

In the third stage, more ruridecanal districts were created, which is a good indication of the changes in the network of parishes. First, the two districts of Zala each lost one district (that of Tapolca in 1747, and Kanizsa in 1750), then the district of Palota was formed in 1755 on the border of Veszprém and Fejér Counties, and finally, in 1756 they decided to establish the district of Ráckeve from the parishes of Fejér and Pilis Counties. This increased the number of districts to 11, and - with the exception of Somogy County - the size of the districts also approached the 'ideal' unit comprising 10-12 parishes. (See maps VII. and IX.)

In the fourth and final stage, which can be counted from the end of the 1750s, further refinements in the network of the episcopal polity can be observed. Nearly all the parishes founded at that time were established in settlements with denominational plurality but also with a dense network of parishes. Presumably they thought they stood a chance of strengthening the positions of the Catholic Church further by a personal presence in these territories. This is particularly striking if we look at the southern part of Somogy County with its significant Protestant majority, where these new establishments are clearly missing at this time. The ecclesiastical organization of this territory was brought to the fore again only at the beginning of the 19th century. (See map VIII.)

346