The Church of St. Stephen Harding in Apátistvánfalva or Apátistvánfalvian Church ( Prekmurje dialect: Števanovska cerkev Svétoga Števana Hardinga) is a Baroque Roman Catholic Church in the village of Apátistvánfalva (Števanovci), Hungary. It is near the Hungarian-Slovenian border, in the Vendvidék region. Its patron saint Stephen Harding was an English saint and the founder of the Cistercian Order. Because this area is traditionally ethnically Slovenian, in the past mass was offered only in Prekmurje Slovenian. Today mass is offered in Hungarian and in the local Prekmurje Slovenian dialect. History of the church The church was built in 1785. The bishop of Vas, János Szily, aided in the construction and also supported building a school in the village. The first priest was János Marits. The new parish included Permise (now Kétvölgy), Börgölin/Újbalázsfalva (now Apátistvánfalva), Orfalu, Rábatótfalu (now Szentgotthárd), Szakonyfalu, and sometimes Markovci, now in Slovenia. By the 12th century, Apátistvánfalva was a Cistercian lordship. In 1183 Béla III of Hungary founded a Cistercian abbey in Szentgotthárd. The monks arrived from the Trois-Fontaines Abbey, Champagne, France. For many years, the Hungarian Slovenes had attended church in Rábakethely (near Szentgotthárd), Felsőszölnök, or Great Dolenci (Slovenia). In Alsószölnök where German, Slovenian and Hungarian people lived, the believers went to Sankt Martin an der Raab in Austria (a church was also built in Alsószölnök built in 1816). Bishop Szily supported masses being offered in the local language (Croatian, the Prekmurje dialect, or German), and therefore he appointed Marits. In 2005 Jožef Smej, the bishop of Maribor, and few Hungarian and Slovenian priests blessed a memorial tablet in the church listing the names of Apátistvánfalvian priests and chaplains. Building The walls of the church are thick and it can hold 2,000 people. The baroque murals were created by an unknown painter. The High Altar shows the Legend of St. Stephen Harding. The Trinity is depicted above the mural. There is an organ in the choir. The organ was made in 1894 and restored in 2007. Prior to the restoration a small organ was used. The steeple has two bells. Near the church are a school, cemetery, and parish office, war memorial, and statue of the Virgin Mary. Gallery Priest of Apátistvánfalva János Marits János Marits was of Slovenian descent () was born in Sveti Jurij, Rogašovci (Slovenia) in around 1757 or 1767. He learned theology in Győr. His consecration was September 20, 1783. He was a