The religios problem about the handicrafts and the romanian priest’rights
Autor: Elena Muscă
The inhabitants of Zalău town have always been preocupated by agriculture, especially by cultivating grape-vine. Due to the fact that it represented “the entrance gate to Transylvania”, a place where the armies werw always passing through, during Middle Age always existed the thraten that the town would remain without inhabitants. To avoid this fact, towns people werw given favors for developing own activities – handicrafts and winery, and for marcendise sale in Transilvanya. The handicrafts was organized in trade (e.g. trade boxes), and they was received in this associacions about their confesion: the catholic, unitarian, lutheran and reformat religions, but not ortodox or grek-catholic. The ortodox priests wasn’t settled the possesion of meadows, hay fields, and forests and they have to work or to pay avery year for aristocrats. This innship right has been restricted and the increasing of the duties led to the poverty of the peasants and the ruin of their households.
The 2nd half of the 18th century and the first half of 19th century represent a period of radical changes in the life of villages but also towns and cities craftsmen, along with feudalism disolving phenomenon. The process began in 19th century when even more restrictions had benn introduced by law regarding the promotion of trade journeymen. The decree accept the grek-catholic handicraftmen in the associacion. In 20th century, trades’place was taken by handicrafts cooperatives that suited systems evolution process of that moment, and diseppeared the problem of religion.