Biserica şi comunităţile urbane sud-bănăţene între perioada „grănicerească” şi instaurarea comunismului
The Church and the Southern Banat Urban Communities Between the “Border Guard” Period and the Instauration of Communism

Summary/Abstract: The 19th and 20th centuries were decisive for the development of the towns from the South Banat (the Mountainous Banat). The factors that determined their evolution on diverse plans starting from the architectural and urbanity ones and going to that of centre of influence for the limitary zones or that of formation of the urban mentality among its more numerous inhabitants were numerous: the border organisation of the area and its dissolution later, the mining exploitations of the area and the development of certain industries, the increase and, then, the diversification of the transport networks, the growth of the population through migrations (especially from the Central European areas), the accelerated industrialisation and its retrogression towards the end of the period of reference. Moreover, the permanent dialogue of the Orthodox and Catholic churches, but also that of the Evangelic one, the educational role of these institutions in the family life, in the school, health and cultural development, their help for the social aid granted to individuals or to other communities are remarkable. The Orthodox Church, in majority in the area, had a distinctive role during the achievement of the Great Union of 1918, but through a permanent dialogue also in the period between the two wars. The communism instauration poisonously affected both churches. After the fall of the totalitarianism their social and cultural role in the religious education was redefined. The analysis of these problems is made through references to the towns of Baziaş, Băile Herculane, Moldova Nouă and Orşova, places having an evolution, but also a decline, determined from case to case, by different own particularities.

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