Church Registers in Slovakia by Place, Year and Film Number

This page is in the process of linking data compiled by Ms. Jana Sarmányová-Kalesná in the publication "Church registers in Slovakia from the 16th to the 19th centuries". What you can't find here, you should look for it on page of all matrices.

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Church registers through the centuries

Origins of matrices

Church registers began to be kept in the Middle Ages. The first records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths appeared in some parts of Europe as early as the 14th century. The keeping of these records was primarily of religious and administrative importance. For example, in 1215, during the Fourth Lateran Council, priests were ordered to keep accurate records of marriages, which was to ensure compliance with church norms regarding marriage.

Development in the 16th century

However, the official introduction of registers did not occur until the 16th century. In 1563, during the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church formally ordered all parishes to keep registers of baptisms, marriages, and deaths. This regulation was a reaction to the Reformation and an effort to streamline the administration of church affairs. For example, in the Czech lands, church registers began to be kept as early as the 16th century, although they were not kept comprehensively and systematically until the 17th century.

State registers and the obligation to keep population records

Beginnings

Over time, especially during the Enlightenment and the 19th century, states began to take control of population records. The reasons were primarily administrative and political, as accurate population records were important for tax purposes, military service, and other state affairs.

Austria-Hungary

In Austria-Hungary (which included the territory of present-day Slovakia), the obligation to keep church registers as official documents was introduced in 1784. This step was part of the reforms of Joseph II, which were intended to centralize and rationalize the administration of the empire. The records had to be kept in duplicate – one copy remained in the parish archive and the other was sent to the archive of the relevant state authority.

20th century

The definitive takeover of civil registry offices by the state in Slovakia occurred only after World War I. In 1918, the Czechoslovak Republic decided to establish state civil registry offices independent of the church. This process was completed in 1950, when a new law on civil registry offices was adopted in Czechoslovakia, which ensured that all records of births, marriages, and deaths were kept exclusively in state civil registry offices.

Current situation

Today, civil registers are kept by city and municipal authorities. These records serve not only for population registration, but also for various legal and administrative purposes, such as inheritance proceedings, concluding contracts and other legal acts. State civil registers are considered official documents and have full legal force. The originals of church civil registers are kept in regional archives. Their digitized copies are placed on familysearch.org.

Conclusion

The historical development of registers from church to state is an example of the gradual secularization and centralization of public administration. While church registers served mainly religious and community needs, state registers today fulfill an important role in public administration and legal matters.