CiucsângeorgiuCiucsângeorgiu

Ciucsângeorgiu, the center village of the municipality, was first mentioned in writing in the 1332 Papal Register under the name of Sancto Georgio (Saint George) – neolithic, ancient and medieval archeological remnants have also been found in the area, the most notable is a reliquary cross (originating from Kiev) from the 11th-12th centuries, found in Cotormani.

It’s a historically significant fact that there are Kingdom of Hungary-era (1000–1301) ruins under the roman catholic churches of Armășeni, and probably of Ciucsângeorgiu. The church of Ciucsângeorgiu has a well-documented history from the 14th century, while the church of Armășeni was first mentioned in the 16th century – from this period originates the winged altarpiece (around 1543) which today can be seen in the Hungarian National Museum. The local community is extremely proud of the 2 fortified churches and 14 chapels existing in the area.

It is also notable that the center of the municipality, Ciucsângeorgiu was a religious hub of the Ciucului de Jos region in the 17th-19th centuries. In 1784 it was granted the right to hold weekly fairs by the Austrian Emperor, which made it an important economic factor in the area. Church registers dating from 1697 include surnames of families that have survived to the present day in the villages of the municipality.

The locals have a saying: „of every chapel on every hill there is a pilgrimage”.

Over the centuries the village took a major hit by the Tatar’s Invasions from the eastern valleys (1661 and 1694), imperial occupation (1704-1710, the plague (1717-1719) and communist collectivization (1949-1962), but even during these troubled events the population remained a cornerstone of Catholic faith and Szekler roots. The Transylvanian bishop Illyés András, native of Ciucsângeorgiu, administered the Transylvanian diocese from Ciucsângeorgiu between 1703 and 1704, having fled the persecution of the Transylvanian Protestants

The municipality gave birth to numerous public figures and personalities: 3 Roman Catholic bishops, numerous war leaders and heroes, countless public figures and artists, among them the Transylvanian bishop Illyés András, the Hungarian army colonel Gál Sándor, the painter Márton Ferenc, Councilor Adorján Imre and the revolutionary Madár Imre, one of the “Márciusi Ifjak” (the youth of Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49).