A priest of Esztergom killed with two Jesuit companions at Košice in 1619, one of the Three Martyrs of Košice.

Saint Marek Križin was a priest of the Archdiocese of Esztergom killed at Košice, now in Slovakia, on September 7, 1619, at twenty-nine years old, alongside his companions Stephen Pongrácz and Melchior Grodziecki. Their deaths during the religious conflicts surrounding the Thirty Years’ War became known as the Martyrs of Košice. Marek was beatified in 1905 and canonized in 1995 by Pope John Paul II.

Quick Facts

• Born: c. 1590
• Died: September 7, 1619, age 29
• Place: Košice, Slovakia
• Venerated as: Priest of the Archdiocese of Esztergom, martyr

Who Was Saint Marek Križin?

Saint Marek Križin was a Croatian-born priest serving the Archdiocese of Esztergom in the Kingdom of Hungary when he was captured and killed at Košice, in present-day Slovakia, on September 7, 1619, at just twenty-nine years old. He died alongside two Jesuit companions, Saint Stephen Pongrácz and Saint Melchior Grodziecki, in what became known as the Martyrs of Košice.

Historical Setting

The killings at Košice took place amid the religious and political turmoil of the early Thirty Years’ War, when Calvinist Transylvanian forces under Gábor Bethlen occupied the town. The three priests were seized, tortured, and executed for refusing to renounce the Catholic faith, becoming one of the most vivid instances of Catholic-Protestant violence in the confessional conflicts of early seventeenth-century Central Europe.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Marek Križin

Marek is remembered as one of the Three Martyrs of Košice, priests whose brutal deaths for refusing to abandon the Catholic faith made them enduring symbols of fidelity amid the religious wars of their age, especially venerated across Slovakia and Hungary.

Canonization and Feast Day

The production register records Marek’s beatification in 1905 and canonization in 1995, when Pope John Paul II canonized the Martyrs of Košice during a visit to Slovakia.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Marek’s death alongside his companions rather than alone is a reminder that Christian fortitude is often strengthened by fellowship — that we are not asked to face our hardest trials in isolation.

A Prayer to Saint Marek Križin

Saint Marek Križin, faithful priest and martyr of Košice, pray for priests facing hostility for the faith, that they may find courage as you did with your companions. Amen.

Sources

• Vatican.va (canonization of the Martyrs of Košice, 1995)
• The Roman Martyrology