Studies in Unitarian Church History 
by Dr. Lehel Molnár (PhD)

This article explores a specific aspect of the relationship between Transylvanian and American Unitarians, focusing particularly on the significance of Anna Richmond’s philanthropic donation in the second third of the 19th century, which enabled the establishment of a teaching chair at the Unitarian College in Kolozsvár. The paper also sheds light on the collaboration between the Transylvanian Archives and American Unitarian minister Claudia Elferdink, which has facilitated a better understanding of the shared heritage between the two churches. The article highlights the international impact of these research efforts, resulting in Molnár Lehel and Claudia Elferdink’s participation in a prestigious American conference, where they discussed the religious-historical dialogue between the two continents.

This volume features 19 studies by Mihály Balázs on the 16th–17th century history of Transylvanian Unitarianism, many of which are published in Hungarian here for the first time. The studies explore the religious dynamics of the Transylvanian Reformation, focusing on the interactions between different denominations. One key study examines the application of the German confessional model in Transylvania, while others discuss figures such as Gáspár Heltai and his printing press, as well as topics like John Sigismund’s religious policies, the conflict between Calvin and Servetus, and the relationship between Unitarianism and Islam. This collection provides essential insights into the religious and political context of the period.

In 1921, one year after the Treaty of Trianon, the Székely Anthem was composed by György Csanády, with music by Kálmán Mihalik. This anthem quickly became a symbol of Székely identity but was deemed irredentist in Romania, leading to its prohibition in both Romania and Hungary from 1946 to 1989. Mihalik, initially enrolled at the Catholic Piarist High School in Kolozsvár, completed his secondary education at the Unitarian High School, graduating in 1915. He began medical studies at Ferencz József University, but World War I interrupted his education, and he served as a soldier. After the war and the Treaty of Trianon, he resumed his studies at the relocated Ferencz József University in Szeged, Hungary and pursued a career in medical research. Tragically, just four months after the Székely Anthem’s debut, Mihalik died of typhus at age 26 on September 6, 1922. Today, in a corridor of the John Sigismund Unitarian High School in Kolozsvár, one can still find the photo of Kálmán Mihalik among those of his classmates on the commemorative plaque for the class of 1914–1915.

There is a lack of a broad synthesis focusing on the history of canonical visitation rites and regulations in Hungarian special literature. The last Unitarian summary of visitation rites history was compiled in the 1930’s by bishop György Boros (1855–1941). In the 21st century only Dániel Bárth (1976–) pioneered again on this topic. But none of the above-mentioned focused on visitations performed by deans or bishops. This article focuses on the history and contents of the 1614 canonical visitation (canonica visitatio) orders compiled by bishop Máté Toroczkai (1553–1616), revised in the 1690’s, and then used until 1741, when bishop Mihály Szentábrahámi Lombárd (1683–1758) and his contributors edited a new visitation regulation.

This dissertation examines the early modern bishop’s visitation system of the Hungarian Unitarian Church, with a focus on visitation practices in the Unitarian communities of Háromszék. By analyzing bishop’s and dean’s visitation records uncovered since the mid-1990s, the author explores the material, moral, religious, and legal state of the church based on records spanning from 1692 to 1737. Using qualitative methods to investigate the historical context and institutional framework of bishop’s visitations, alongside quantitative methods to assess demographic data, the research seeks to refine our understanding of the church’s history while correcting prior misconceptions. Notably, case studies within the dissertation’s ten chapters analyze specific data from the visitation records, including 17th-century demographic trends and local disciplinary issues. The findings emphasize the role of bishop’s visitations in maintaining the church’s continuity and integrity.

This study examines the history, evolution, and forms of canonica visitatio (canonical visitations) from antiquity through the 18th century. Canonical visitation, a practice of ecclesiastical oversight mandated by Church law, dates back to the 5th century and has roots in apostolic times, when early Christian leaders visited new congregations to ensure doctrinal and moral purity. By the 5th century, bishops were formally established as church overseers. The study summarizes the development of the legal framework of visitation (from the 6th century onwards), describes the visitation provisions of the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and their implementation in Hungary, discusses Catholic visitations in parts of Europe that came under Turkish rule, and then turns to the types of visitations that initially applied to Protestants. After a discussion of Protestant visitations, the article describes the visitation customs of the Lutheran and Calvinist churches, and then turns to the visitations of the Hungarian Reformed and Lutheran churches.