Cenad

Cenad (, during the Dark Ages Marosvár; , archaically Maroschburg; ; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Cenad. The village serves as a customs point on the border with Hungary. Today's village was formed by merging Cenadu Mare ("Great Cenad" or "Rascian Cenad"; ) and Cenadu Vechi ("Old Cenad" or "German Cenad"; ) in the 20th century. == Geography == Cenad is located in the west of Timiș County, on the left bank of the Mureș River, on the border with Hungary. It borders Igriș to the northeast, Saravale to the southeast, Sânnicolau Mare to the south, Dudeștii Vechi to the southwest and Beba Veche to the west. === Climate === The climate is temperate continental, with weak Mediterranean influences. It is manifested by milder winters and summers that are not excessively hot, the average annual temperature being , and the average multiannual rainfall being . == History == Cenad is one of the localities with the oldest documented history in the entire Banat. The human presence is signaled on its territory since the Neolithic, about 7,000 years ago. Archaeological cultures such as Starčevo–Criș, Vinča, Tisza and Tiszapolgár, through discoveries in several places, demonstrate the consistency of human habitation at that time. From the Bronze Age there are archaeological discoveries of household objects and funerary urns. The Roman era is well represented by numerous discoveries, both pottery, tools, bricks from various constructions bearing the stamps of some Roman military units and coins issued by various Roman emperors. Later, other discoveries confirmed the Byzantine influence and the existence of a settlement from the 8th–9th centuries. === From Morisena to Cenad === Cenad was known until the 13th century as Morisena. The legionary camp of the Legio XIII Gemina was located there. In the Middle Ages, the site was a temporary capital for Huns, Avars and for Glad, a local voivode. At the beginning of Stephen I's reign, the first King of Hungary, Ajtony had his residence here as heir of Glad, and brought architects from Greece to build a church, a monastery and a palace. He was Christianised, at Vidin. His commandant Chanadinus, a former friend, rebelled and with the help of Stephen I attacked Ajtony's realm. Chanadinus defeated and killed Ahtum, occupying his realm. As a reward, the king establishes a new county named Cenad bearing Chanadinus' name and having its seat at Morisena, which also receives the status of royal fortress.

In 1030 the king established a diocese (the diocese of Csanád) led by bishop Gerard, who would become a saint of the Catholic Church after his death. He built a church and established a monastery dedicated to the Mother of God. On this occasion he brought Italian engineers, who settled here and built on the site of the old fortress of Morisena the fortress of Cenad.