What's in a Prague street name

Moysesova was built in 1969.

Štefan Moyzes (which seems to be how his name is spelt in most sources online, rather than ‘Moyses’) was born in Veselé, near Piešťany, which, in turn, is near Trnava in present-day Slovakia.

He completed school there, and started to study philosophy at the local seminary, before continuing his studies in Buda and Esztergom. He completed his studies in 1821, and was ordained as a priest in the same year.

Over the next few years, he served as a chaplain in several places (Svätý Ondrej, Bzovík, Tesárske Mlynany, and Teldeš) and, from 1828 to 1829, he started preaching in Pest – in Slovak.

1829 would see Moyzes moving to Zagreb to become a professor of philosophy and Ancient Greek at the Royal Academy, a role he would stay in until 1847.

Because, by 1847, the Hungarians were decidedly wary of someone who was basically a representative of the Slovaks and the Croats at the same time, and had every intention of dismissing him.

Fully aware of this, the Bishop of Zagreb, Juraj Haulík recommended to Ferdinand I that Moyzes be appointed a canon of the Zagreb Chapter.

Moyzes was also appointed as a representative of the Croatian National Party at the Hungarian Diet in Bratislava in the same year. He supported the platform suggested by Ľudovít Štúr (I seem to be linking to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/03/05/prague-4-day-325-sturova/ a lot recently).

Moyzes, who was close to Josip Jelačić, Ban of Croatia from 1848 to 1859, was also one of the participants in discussions with the government in Vienna about Croatia’s constitutional status.

In 1850, Franz Joseph I appointed Moyzes as diocesan bishop of Besztercebánya (now Banská Bystrica); he was consecrated in 1851, and managed to bring about a certain degree of reconciliation in the church, at a time when it was much needed.

Moyzes also managed to give considerable support to the gymnázium in Banská Bystrica, expanding its curriculum, its funding – and its use of Slovak as a teaching tool. He also tried to open a girls’ school in the city, but was unsuccessful.

In 1861, Moyzes went to Vienna to give in the pro-Slovak petition already discussed on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/09/09/prague-4-day-440-hurbanova/, and, in 1863, he became the first president of Matica slovenská.

Moyzes died in Garamszentkereszt, now Žiar nad Hronom, in 1869.