ZolÂtán Klamár: TerÂriÂtoÂry MarkÂing PracÂtice of EthÂnic MinoriÂties LivÂing in MagÂyarkanizsa in the 18th – 20th C.
From the study we can get a picÂture on how imporÂtant in the life of a comÂmuÂniÂty is the role of counÂtry buÂilÂding and area organÂiÂzaÂtion of the church. The churchÂes were built – by SerÂbians between 1773–1775, HunÂgarÂiÂans in 1768 and 1912 – in the cenÂter of the town, close to the maÂin square or at a busy point of the terÂriÂtoÂry, in order to emphaÂsize their presÂence in the built enviÂronÂmenÂt. This pracÂtice was folÂlowed by the solÂvent peasÂanÂt-ÂcivÂil layÂer, when placed sacral monÂuÂments in the terÂriÂtoÂry.
The first sacral buÂilÂding was built by Catholics far from the town, on a hill. The CalÂvary built to the counÂtry is the only memÂoÂry of the town from the 18th C. In the 19th C furÂther eight sacral monÂuÂments were built, from which six were creÂatÂed by CatholicÂs, and two by OrthoÂdoxÂies.
When we examÂine these objectÂs, we can see that four of them were placed to the sacral area around the churchÂes, and the other four to the other sacral area of liturÂgiÂcal pracÂtice.
In the 20th C. anothÂer nine sacral monÂuÂments appeared in the town streetÂs, squares thanks to the finanÂcial conÂtriÂbuÂtion of CatholicÂs, from which two are statÂues. Two chapelÂs/cerÂeÂmoÂniÂal rooms were built in the Catholic big cemeÂtery, both at the beginÂning of the 20th C. The statÂues were placed to the imporÂtant and busy cenÂters of the town.
The Catholic comÂmuÂniÂty of the town signed the sacral squares used by the comÂmuÂniÂty by placÂing eightÂeen monÂuÂments on its area.
The two OrthoÂdox crossÂes also express strong cenÂter of space strucÂture. When we examÂine the dedÂiÂcaÂtionÂs, we can see that from the twenÂty monÂuÂments there are only two on which the name of its creÂator is not preÂsenÂt.
Although the author of the study agrees with stateÂment that the pracÂtice of placÂing sacral monÂuÂments is of reliÂgious charÂacÂter and serves priÂmaÂriÂly for terÂriÂtoÂry markÂing of reliÂgionÂs, but disÂcussÂes its relaÂtion to nationÂal minorÂiÂty.
The popÂuÂlaÂtion is pracÂtiÂcalÂly comÂposed of the idenÂtiÂcal ethÂnic group belongÂing to the reliÂgious culÂturÂal cirÂcle, but at its examÂiÂnaÂtion we are faced with the fact that beside the ethÂniÂcal, Serbian-Hungarian dualÂiÂty we have to conÂsidÂer the Orthodox-Catholic reliÂgious dualÂiÂty.
For the SerÂbians livÂing in the town the ethÂnic idenÂtiÂty was always an imporÂtant part of reliÂgious idenÂtiÂty. MoreÂover, their reliÂgion made „true gloÂriÂfiÂcaÂtion of God“ – ortho doxa – in mothÂer lanÂguage of its believÂers that strengthÂened them in their belief and their misÂsion conÂsciousÂness, as well.
The inteÂgratÂing power of the Catholic reliÂgion showed mainÂly in that that it helped the small numÂber of GerÂman, SloÂvak, and CroaÂtÂian setÂtlers livÂing beside the HunÂgarÂiÂans to adapt and assimÂiÂlate.