THE ROMAN-CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SATU MARE
After the Reform, the Catholic Church reappears in Satu Mare through the Jesuit Order. According to the mandate of Ferdinand the II in 1636, the monks who were attending the spiritual life of the soldiers in the castle, maintained a school. The number of the catholic flock increased when the aristocratic families rejoined the Catholic Church and when the Schwabs were settled here in the first half of the 18th century. Still, there were only 25 parishes in the county at the beginning of the 19th century.
The year 1804 brought a major change in the history of the Catholicism in Satu Mare. By the separation of the diocese of Agria, was founded the Bishopric of Satu Mare. The newly founded diocese included the Satu Mare, Maramures, Ugocea, Bereg and Ung counties. This act favored not only the Catholics, but also the entire population of the region. Beside its spiritual role, the bishops had an important cultural and educational function, as it had administrated many social activities and charity. Even today, the cathedral and the Episcopal palace are major reference points of Satu Mare. Personalities like the bishops János Hám, Gyula Meszlényi and the martyr János Schefler are still alive today in the memory of the inhabitants of Satu Mare.
Carrying on the tradition of the Jesuit school, a secondary school and a high-school was reopened in Satu Mare, and a theological seminary was founded for the diocese. A school for teachers was opened at the beginning of the year 1847. Carei was still the second centre of Catholicism in the county and since 1725 there was a gymnasium of the Piarist order. The schools of the church were accessible even for the poorer social classes through the system of stipends and foundations. The foundations made by the bishop János Hám helped to create an asylum for old, later enlarged with an orphanage and a hospital. SzP, PV
ORTHODOXISM IN SATU MARE
Dating from early times, the Orthodoxy of Satu Mare withdraws with the attack of the Counter-reformation, but never disappears utterly. As a significant evidence for this fact stands the large number of creed books originating from Moldavia and Walachia, even after the foundation of the printing press at Blaj. To prove the same information, we mention the ordainment of a great number of priests (not less than 26) in the county of Satu Mare, by Orthodox bishops in 1751. Not at last, it must be notified the struggle under the leadership of the monk Sofronie to rejoin Orthodoxy, because only the cumulated power of the bishop of Munkács and the supreme comes of the County of Satu Mare, Antal Károlyi, succeeded to suppress this danger which threatened the religious Union. PV
GREEK-CATHOLICISM IN SATU MARE
Romanians of Satu Mare, Ugocea, Szabolcs and Maramures joined Greek-Catholicism in several stages, beginning with the Synod of Ujgorod (1656) and closing with the Synod of Satmar (30th of April 1690). Sixty local priests “confirmed to be united” under the jurisdiction of the united episcopacy of Munkacs. With the help of the authorities at that time, Greek-Catholicism knows a spectacular development, therefore, in 1786, out of a population of 148.573 inhabitants, 74.102 were Greek-Catholics, 20.108 Roman Catholics, 54.133 Calvinists, 225 Lutherans and 5 Orthodocs. Around the first World War, out of 396.508 inhabitants of the County, 168.870 were Greek-Catholics (of which almost 30.000 were Hungarians). In 1930, out of the inhabitants of Satu Mare County, 58% were Greek-Catholics.
Among the Greek-Catholic personalities left in the memory of the successors we mention the bishop Mihai Pavel, and several priests and professors: Dr. Vasile Lucaciu, Petru Bran, Iustin Popfiu, Ioan Silviu Sălăgeanu, Dr. Augustin Lauran, Dr. Aloisie Tăutu, and others. PV
PROTESTANTISM IN SATU MARE
The ideas of the reform molded to our county since the 1530s. The first major reformed synod of the Hungarian Kingdom was held in Ardud (1545), and another general synod was in Satu Mare, in 1646. János Szilveszter and Gáspár Károlyi came from the spiritual milieu of Satu Mare. The first was a famous reformer and scholar, the latter made the complete translation of the Bible (1590), becoming therefore the founder of the Hungarian literary language.
In the mean time, the Hungarians joined the Calvinist branch of the Reform. They established several schools in the county, the most influent becoming the Reformed College of Satu Mare, founded in 1586. Performing an intense cultural, public and charity activities, the reformed cult sponsored houses for the old and orphans. The Calvinist flock held the majority during the 16th and 17th centuries. With the outset of the Catholic Counter-reformation, the number of the Calvinists of Satu Mare decreased gradually. Still, this cult holds the majority within the Hungarian community. SzL
THE JEWS OF SATU MARE
Until the Holocaust, the Jews of Satu Mare used to be one of the most important Mosaic communities of the Carpathian Basin. The first synagogue in the town was built in 1852–1858, on Decebal Street, while the present Great Synagogue, with over 850 places, was built around 1890. In 1850, in Satu Mare lived 128 Jews, in 1880 they were 2.396, in 1910 were 7.194, and in 1941 were 12.960 out of 52.048 inhabitants, representing 24% of the population. Therefore, Satu Mare was the fourth town in Transylvania regarding the number of Jewish inhabitants. In Baia Mare there were 3.623, representing 16,9% of the population, and in Carei they represented 14,2% of the town population. Jews had in Satu Mare two synagogues, 25 houses of prayer and two cemeteries. There were two Jewish communities: the Orthodox and the status quo ante. MLP