Martinis
Encyclopedia
Mărtiniş is a commune
in Harghita County
, Romania
. It lies in the Székely Land
, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania
.
The village gained its name, when King Géza II of Hungary
founded settlements in the Great-Homorod
Valley in the middle of the 12th century. The first settlement is thought to be destroyed by the Mongols in 1241. This is supported by the fact that all the churches of the Homorod area were built in a style which is characteristic for the era following the Mongol Invasion. The village is first recorded in a diploma from 1333 when a sacerdos de Sancto Martino was mentioned. In 1487, it is recorded as Zenthmarton, while in 1636, it appears already as Homorod-Szent-Marton. Its Romanian name derives from the Hungarian one and it had at first been Homorod-Sânmărtin and was later changed to the current official name. Its medieval church consecrated in honour of St Martin was built in the 13th century and was altered in the 15th century in late-Gothic style. As the village suffered a Tartar attack in 1613, the church was surrounded by a fortified wall strengthened by six towers. Between 1714-1719, the population was struck by plague. Although, the mediaeval church was pulled down in 1888, the gate-tower of the fortified wall was spared and it now serves as the bell tower of the new Unitarian
church built in 1889.
The villages forming the commune administratively belonged to Udvarhelyszék, then, from 1876 until 1918 to Homoród district of Udvarhely County in the Kingdom of Hungary
. In 1920, the village, like the rest of Transylvania, formally passed with the Treaty of Trianon from Hungarian to Romanian control. In 1940, the second Vienna Award
granted the Northern Transylvania
to Hungary and the villages were held by Hungary until 1944. After Soviet occupation, the Romanian administration returned and the commune became officially part of Romania in 1947. Between 1952 and 1960, the commune fell within the Magyar Autonomous Region, between 1960 and 1968 the Mureş-Magyar Autonomous Region. In 1968, the province was abolished, and since then, the commune has been part of Harghita County.
) majority. According to the 2002 census it has a population of 3,011 of which 98.8% or 2,975 are Hungarian.
Communes of Romania
A commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
in Harghita County
Harghita County
Harghita is a county in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea-Ciuc.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 326,222 and a population density of 52/km².*Hungarians- 85%...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It lies in the Székely Land
Székely Land
The Székely Land or Szekler Land refers to the territories inhabited mainly by the Székely, a Hungarian-speaking ethnic group from eastern Transylvania...
, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
.
Component villages
The commune is composed of twelve villages:| In Romanian Romanian language Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova... | In Hungarian Hungarian language Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe.... |
|---|---|
| Aldea | Abásfalva |
| Bădeni | Bágy |
| Călugăreni | Homoródremete |
| Chinuşu | Kénos |
| Comăneşti | Homoródkeményfalva |
| Ghipeş | Gyepes |
| Locodeni | Lókod |
| Mărtiniş | Homoródszentmárton |
| Orăşeni | Városfalva |
| Petreni | Homoródszentpéter |
| Rareş | Recsenyéd |
| Sânpaul | Homoródszentpál |
History
The village seems to have been inhabited already in prehistoric times as a neolithic ax and an urn was found in the ouskirts of the village some decades ago. Roman coins were also unearthed in the village and a small lake reminiscent of the place of an abandoned salt mine suggest that it was also inhabited in Roman timesThe village gained its name, when King Géza II of Hungary
Géza II of Hungary
Géza II , , King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Dalmatia and Rama . He ascended the throne as a child and during his minority the kingdom was governed by his mother and uncle...
founded settlements in the Great-Homorod
Homorodul Mare River
The Homorodul Mare River is a headwater of the Homorod River in Romania.-References:* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971...
Valley in the middle of the 12th century. The first settlement is thought to be destroyed by the Mongols in 1241. This is supported by the fact that all the churches of the Homorod area were built in a style which is characteristic for the era following the Mongol Invasion. The village is first recorded in a diploma from 1333 when a sacerdos de Sancto Martino was mentioned. In 1487, it is recorded as Zenthmarton, while in 1636, it appears already as Homorod-Szent-Marton. Its Romanian name derives from the Hungarian one and it had at first been Homorod-Sânmărtin and was later changed to the current official name. Its medieval church consecrated in honour of St Martin was built in the 13th century and was altered in the 15th century in late-Gothic style. As the village suffered a Tartar attack in 1613, the church was surrounded by a fortified wall strengthened by six towers. Between 1714-1719, the population was struck by plague. Although, the mediaeval church was pulled down in 1888, the gate-tower of the fortified wall was spared and it now serves as the bell tower of the new Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
church built in 1889.
The villages forming the commune administratively belonged to Udvarhelyszék, then, from 1876 until 1918 to Homoród district of Udvarhely County in the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. In 1920, the village, like the rest of Transylvania, formally passed with the Treaty of Trianon from Hungarian to Romanian control. In 1940, the second Vienna Award
Second Vienna Award
The Second Vienna Award was the second of two Vienna Awards arbitrated by the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Rendered on August 30, 1940, it re-assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary.-Prelude and historical background :After the World War I, the multi-ethnic...
granted the Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania is a region of Transylvania, situated within the territory of Romania. The population is largely composed of both ethnic Romanians and Hungarians, and the region has been part of Romania since 1918 . During World War II, as a consequence of the territorial agreement known as...
to Hungary and the villages were held by Hungary until 1944. After Soviet occupation, the Romanian administration returned and the commune became officially part of Romania in 1947. Between 1952 and 1960, the commune fell within the Magyar Autonomous Region, between 1960 and 1968 the Mureş-Magyar Autonomous Region. In 1968, the province was abolished, and since then, the commune has been part of Harghita County.
Demographics
The commune has an absolute Hungarian (SzékelySzékely
The Székelys or Székely , sometimes also referred to as Szeklers , are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania...
) majority. According to the 2002 census it has a population of 3,011 of which 98.8% or 2,975 are Hungarian.
Landmarks
- The Unitarian Church was built in 1889, however, the gate-tower of the 17th century fortified wall was turned into its bell tower
- The Reformed Church was built in 1804 on a plot donated by the Bíró and Ugron families,
- In the village can be found the largest mansion house of the area, the mansion of the Bíró family. Chronicles from the Middle Ages already record a mansion house on the site. There is a vaulted cellar under the building built of stone, brick and hot lime which successfully resisted the storms of history. Several rooms, including a large dining-room can be seen in the building. The Ugron family inherited the mansion in the second half of the 18th century, and it was between 1780-1790 that the building gained its current appearance in RococoRococoRococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
style, - The family vault of the Bíró-family is south-east of the village in a small settlement called Bükkfalva
Notable people
- Jakab Molnár (1926–1991), writer
- Elemér Mezei (1954-), mathematician
- Viktor Román (1937–1995), sculptor
- János Szentmártoni Bodó, poet
- Berta Kelemenné Zathureczky (1855–1924), writer
- Aladár Zoltán (1929–1978), composer