Saint Stephen of Hungary

King and Apostle of Hungary
(c. 975–1038)

Saint Stephen, born around 975 and baptised with the name Vajk, was the son of the Magyar chieftain Géza and was educated as a Christian by Saint Adalbert of Prague, who baptised him and gave him the name Stephen. He succeeded his father as leader of the Magyar tribes around 997 and immediately faced a serious challenge from pagan nobles who resisted his Christian policies. He defeated them in battle, and from this victory emerged the unified Christian kingdom of Hungary.

He received from Pope Sylvester II a royal crown and the title of Apostolic King, and was crowned on Christmas Day in the year 1000 or 1001, founding the Kingdom of Hungary as a Christian state. He then set himself systematically to the evangelisation and organisation of his kingdom. He divided Hungary into counties under royal governors, established a system of tithes to support the clergy, and required every ten villages to build a church. He founded two archdioceses, eight dioceses, and several monasteries, inviting Benedictine monks from the West to staff them.

He was a man of personal piety who gave generously to the poor, sometimes disguising himself to distribute alms secretly. He endured great personal suffering in his later years, outliving all his children. His only son Emeric, whom he had carefully prepared to succeed him and who is also venerated as a saint, was killed in a hunting accident in 1031. Stephen accepted this desolation with heroic faith, dedicating his kingdom to the Blessed Virgin Mary as its queen and patroness, a dedication that has given Mary the title Regina Hungariae, Queen of Hungary.

He died on August 15, 1038, the feast of the Assumption, and was canonised in 1083 together with his son Emeric. His right hand, preserved as a relic in Budapest, is one of the most venerated objects in Hungarian national and religious life. His feast is celebrated on August 16th.