Short History of the
Unitarian Congregation in Budapest
Unitarianism made its first appearance in Hungary in the sixteenth century, but not for long, and did not reappear on present-day Hungarian territory before the late nineteenth century. Even then, political changes were responsible for this development.
The restoration of the territorial integrity of Hungary and Transylvania was declared by the Union Diet. It was then that the free exercise of the Unitarian religion all over Hungary was granted by the Hungarian Diet in Pozsony (present-day Bratislava in the Slovak Republic) in Act XX of 1848. After the abolition of the Royal Office of the Governor General of Transylvania, this Act granted free exercise of their religion to the Unitarians settling in Budapest. However, it was not before the Compromise of 1867, two decades after the Diet of 1848, that the first steps towards setting up a Unitarian parish in Budapest could be made.
Three periods can be distinguished in the life of the Unitarian parish in Budapest: The first period lasted from 1867 to 1899. This was the "heroic age" of the parish, and lasted from setting up the out-parish to the end of Miklós Gál's ministry. The second period fell between the years 1899 and 1940. This was the heyday of the parish, hall-marked by Miklós Józan's ministry. The third period is still in progress. This has been a period of transition, affected by the changes in the political frontiers. The most important objectives of this period have been survival and striving for renewal.
Miklós Kelemen