A politikus plébános – Hován József tevékenysége Pásztón

The politician parson – József Hován’s work in Pásztó ----- In search of the social history of Pásztó, data of previous local history investigations have been specified in several cases. As a result of the micro-historical research, not only did the ordinary life of the inhabitants become more elaborate but also the career history of the town’s elite happened to be more precise. This study focuses on the most pivotal milestones of the life of a man who had been the chaplain of Pásztó and later became the parish priest of the town between 1872 and 1904. Over four decades, his activities as a religious person and a city father were very influential in the life of the Pásztó community. Being the virile member of the representative body, he was actively involved in the local tasks as well. His contribution can also be analysed with the help of several representative body reports, press releases and religious documents. The research also focuses on the afterlife of his activities in Pásztó whereas his last will also mentioned the town’s name. It has been revealed that in many cases his contributions had an influence on the fact that at the time, civil marriages were largely refused in the town. This research attempts to introduce a locally and nationally recognised parish priest concentrating on the details of his public, social and political work. The study is based on several new, previously unpublished data