Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
Dénes Dienes: THE PROTESTANT SCHOOL IN THE 16TH CENTURY - The humanist Reformed college 1577-1599
14 THE PROTESTANT SCHOOL IN THE 16TH CENTURY The gravestone of Ferenc Dobó and Judit Kerecsényi (Sárospatak) refers to the student youth as scholasticus coetus on the basis of which a community’s life with its own regulation and interior government is to be assumed. Certainly there are alumnus students here who are fully looked after by the school, this meaning the provision of board and lodging. In the form of the patron’s donation, the institution received properties, among which some were medieval church benefits. The victuals provided to the alumni were regularly ensured by the lord of the castle. “My Dear Fellow Believers, Your humble proposal submitted on the 9th of the current month regarding the wishes and advice relating to the suggestion of the student youth of Sárospatak has mercifully been taken into account. We graciously agree and ordain that in our village Erdőbénye you may enforce the securing of income from us. This involves the donated house and the four vineyards on the above mentioned Erdőbénye hill, which had once belonged to the altarists, then was bestowed upon the school by the late Gábor Perényi. And similarly, the vineyard on Fekete-hegy as well as Újhely, bequeathed to the school by János Chechey. Moreover, the attaining of the Saturday income from the mill at Ardó’s (a part of Sárospatak). Finally, for the enhanced upkeep of the mentioned school, as a gift, ensure the quarterly allocation of four barrels of wine, forty cubic fathoms of wheat and four sides of bacon by our office-bearer in Sárospatak”. THE HUMANIST REFORMED CHURCH COLLEGE 1577-1599 Following the dominant figure of the teacher Balázs Fabricius Szikszai, there was a generation-long period in which the Patak school maintained its humanist orientation and traditions, all the while the effects of Reformed theological teachings increasingly prevailed as the upper college department became strengthened in members. Since the school had two highly qualified teachers, one of them, in particular the rector, could focus on teaching theology. However, the well-trained teachers, for the most part, considered their activity in Patak to be temporary. They would teach for two, three or perhaps up to five years but then sought to find a profitable parochial church in a market town. Therefore, their effectiveness could not be asserted in the long run. However, the town’s new owner, Ferenc Dobó, the son of István Dobó, who achieved hero status in Eger, and his wife, Judit Kerecsényi, took their role of patronage seriously and supported the school generously. They reinstated the former rights and benefits of the school and it was probably here that the “right to operate a pub” (jus educilli) was extended. This meant that the wine produced from the school’s vineyards could be freely sold in the public pub of the school, this generating a nice income. The school had other supporters of rank. Here mention must be made of the members of the aristocrat circle who paid the costs of studies for Patak students.
