Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/44

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TRANSYLVANIA

Kellner, Heortology (St. Louis, 1908), 105 sq.: Nilles, Kaiendarium manuale (Innsbruck, 1896); Prince Maximilian OF Saxovv, Liturg. orieritaks (Freiburg, 1908), 215; Maltzew, Menologium (Berlin, 1901), 11. 666 sq.

F. G. HOLWECK.

Translation of Relics. See Relics.

Transmigration of Souls. See Metempsy- chosis.

Transubstantiation. See Eucharist.

Transvaal, Vicariate Apostolic op the, lies be- tween 23° 3' and 27° 30' S. lat., and 25° and .32° E. long. The total population is approximately esti- mated at 960,000, consisting of about 320,000 whites and 640,000 natives. The agricultural and pastoral resources of this portion of South Africa are great, the vast roUing plains being capable of raising almost un- limited quantities of cereals. Stock-raising can also be pursued to great advantage. The discovery of gold in the Transvaal has brought about a large influx of British immigrants, who have developed the min- eral resources of the country. Since the tipae of the "Great Trek" (1S3.5-38) of the emigrant Dutch farm- ers from Cape Colony, several wars have been waged between the Boers, natives, and British. But streams of Boer immigrants succeeded in repelling the natives, and in gradually securing their own independence. In 1850 the British were engaged in a lengthy and costly war with the Kafirs, during which the Boers took advantage of the situation to demand the recog- nition of their independence; this was granted to them by the Sand River Convention, 17 Jan., 1852, and Great Britain gave up the Orange River Sov- ereignty in 1834, which they had proclaimed in 1848 after the battle of Boomplaats. In 1876 the Boers were defeated by the Kafirs, and Great Britain, afraid of a general rising of the natives throughout South Africa, deemed it expedient to annex the countrj', which was done, 12 April. 1877. A new war, however, broke out between British and Boers, in which the former were defeated, 27 Feb., 1881, and the Boers re- covered their independence, which they enjoyed until the outbreak of the war in Oct., 1899, which resulted in their defeat and the final annexation of the country to the British Empire.

The Transvaal formed a portion of the Vicariate of Natal until 1886. From time to time the few Catho- lics residing in this part of South Africa were visited by a priest from Natal, till 1877, when the first mis- sion was founded in Pretoria by the Right Rev. Dr. Jolivet, O.M.I. The first church in the Transvaal was not, however, completed until the first Sunday of October, 1887, when it was dedicated by Bishop Joli- vet. At that time the number of Catholics at Pre- toria was about 100. In the other locaUties of the Transvaal the Catholic population was insignificant. Johannesburg, which has at the present day a popu- lation of about 130,000, including about 80,000 Euro- peans and 50,000 natives and Asiatics, was then hardly in existence. The Catholic population is about 9500, Europeans, natives, and Syrians included.

The Transvaal was detached from Natal in 1886 by Leo Xlll. It remained an independent prefecture Apostolic tiU 29 Jan., 1902. The first prefect Apos- tohc was the Very Rev. Father Monginoux, O.M.I., who was succeeded by Very Rev. Father Schock, O.M.I., who died on his way to the chapter of his order held in Paris in 1898. Until 29 Jan., 1902, Father Jean de Lacv, O.M.I., acted as prefect Apos- tolic. Then tlie Right Kev. Dr. Matthew Gaughran, O.M.I., was elected Vicar Apostohc of Kimberley, and administrator of the Transvaal prefecture. On 20 Nov., 1904, the prefecture Apostohc of the Trans- vaal became a vicariate, and the Right Rev. Dr. Wil- liam Miller, O.M.I., was consecrated Bishop of Eumenia, and Vicar Apostolic of the Transvaal. He resides at Johannesburg. (See Kafirs.)

On 13 Jan., 1911, the northern portion of the Vicariate of the Transvaal, including the two districts of Zoutpansberg and Waterberg, lying between 24° and 23° S. lat., and between 28° and .32° E. long, was erected into a prefecture Apostohc, under the title of Prefecture Apostohc of the Northern Transvaal, and entrusted to the care of the Benedictines, with the Very Rev. Father Lanslots, O.S.B., as prefect Apos- tolic. The missionaries number at the present 6 fathers and 3 lay brothers, all of whom are natives of Belgium. Through the erection of the new prefec- ture Apostohc, the boundaries of the Vicariate of the Transvaiil have been altered. They are at present delimited by 25° and .32° E. long., and 27° S. lat. (north of the Orange River Colony) and 28° S. lat. (west of the same Colony).

There are at present (1911) in the Vicariate of the Transvaal: 27 priests (13 of whom are Oblates, 12 sec- ular, 2 military chaplains) ; and 1 Oblate lay brother and 20 Marist Brothers, who conduct a very prosper- ous school at Johannesburg; also other schools, a sana- torium, a refuge, a hospital, and a home for children and aged, are under the management of various re- ligious congregations, viz., the Sisters of the Holy Family; Sisters of Nazareth House; Dominican Sis- ters; Sisters of the Good Shepherd; Sisters of Mercy; Ursuline Sisters; and Sisters of Loreto; making a total number of 147 Sisters for the whole vicariate.

Missiones calliolic(E (Rome, 1907). 444-45; The Catholic Directory of British South Africa (Cape Town. 1910).

A. Langouet.

Transylvania, the south-eastern part of Hungary, called in German "Siebenbtirgen", apparently from the old name of the City of Hermannstadt, once known as Sibinburg; in Hungarian the name is "Erdely" (cf. maps to article Austro-Hungari.an Monarchy).

At the beginning of the Christian era what is now Transylvania was inhabited by Dacians, a Thracian people. In the second half of the first century King Decebalus united the various tribes of the Dacians into a homogeneous kingdom. He maintained his independence in successful battles against the Romans and forced the Emperor Domitian to agree to a dis- graceful peace. Trajan conquered the country dur- ing the years 101-7 and made it a Roman pro\-ince. From 260 Dacia swarmed with Goths and the Em- peror Aurelian abandoned the country to them. During the great migrations the Goths were followed by the Huns; after the death of Attila the Huns were followed by the German Ciepids; these were succeeded by the Avars, the Petclienegs, and other tribes. Finally in the eleventh century tlie Magyars suc- ceeded in getting control of Transylvania and were ruled by petty independent princes. In 1003 King St. Stephen, the organizer of Hungarian Christianity, overthrew the last of these princes. Stephen's successor gradually gained the greater part of the country. It was intended that Transylvania should be the bulwark of western civihzation against the onslaught of the barbarian hordes of the East. With this purpose in view the Hungarian kings brought German colonists into Transylvania. In the medi- eval charters these settlers were called Saxons, a name that is still ret.ained. In 1211 King Andreas gave what is called Burzenland, that is the country sur- rounding Kronstadt, to the Teutonic Knights, who settled German peasants on it and built numerous citadels, as the Kreuzburg, Marienburg, the fortified ca.stles of Ho.senau, Ikwau, etc. When in 1224 the Teutonic Knights placed their possessions under the control of the ])opc the king revoked his gift, and sought to drive the order out by force. The next year the order left Burzenland; having been sum- nioncd by Duke Konrad of Kujavien into the dis- trict surrounding the jiresent Kulm to fight against the heathen Prussians. Notwithstanding the with- drawal of the knights the region preserved its