Š T E F A N N I K O L A J H Ý R O Šroman catholic priest, historian
 He was born in Ružomberok on August 8th, 1813. He studied at the gymnasium in Ružomberok, in Banská Bystrica, Esztergom, philosophy in Spišská Kapitula and Eger and theology in Pest. In 1836 he was coronared by the bishop Jozef Bélik. He acted as a chaplain and a priest at several places in Slovakia. In 1845 he was invited by the bishop to become a professor of theology in Spišská Kapitula. He lectured there religious right and history. After over seven years of lecturing he left for Hyby where he acted as a priest and from there he came on November 1st, 1859 to Liptovský Sv. Michal that became his last place of work. In Liptovský Sv. Michal in a very responsible manner he took care of the entrusted believers and also the church assets. In 1863 he established parish gardens in the place of former marshes that he had dried up. In the same year he also planted lindens – the symbols of the Slavs. In 1873 he bought for the church a new organ. He took care of the parish estate on Lazy and the saw at the left bank of Lupcianka. However, the estate burned down on October 28th, 1865 and the saw on August 28th, 1866. In each of his places of work he was exceptionally trusted by the people and also by the priests. Therefore he was entrusted with various representative appointmets. In 1852 he was entrusted with giving welcome to the emperor Franz Joseph who was traveling through the Liptov region. His literary activities began just by the self-copy of his welcome speech that was written in Bernolak’s Slovak. In 1861 he took part in the Memorandum meeting in Martin. In addition to other suggestions he suggested to include into the Memorandum requirements the establishment of Matica slovenská. In 1863 he became her founder. Likewise he is found among the founders of the catholic gymnasium in Kláštor pod Znievom and as a member of the Saint Vojtech society. In 1863 he got into an argument with those priests in the Liptov region who had strong feelings for Hungarians. They wrote up against him an indictment that they sent to the bishop L. Zábojský. In this indictment they required judicial continuation in front of both the clerical and secularistic tribunal. However, the bishop pacificatory liquidated the cause and didn’t allow it to get in front of the tribunal. The disputes brought the Michal’s priest to widthdrawing from the political arena and to turning over to the scientific work. He significantly contributed to educating the childern in the schools of the Liptov region in their mother tongue – Slovak. The literary activities of Š. N. Hýroš show scarce beginnings. He contributed by his sermons to the journal Cyril and Methodius. In addition he published contributions in the Catholic journal, the Friend of school and literature, the Falcon, the Tatras Eagle and the Prague Talks. His life’s work will remain “Castle Lykava and his lords” published in 1876. The work is the fruits of exceptional diligence where one esteems especially the wealth of a carefully and laboriously assembled comprehensive historical material. It is a history of not only one castle but the whole region of Liptov. In the form of a manuscript has remained the work “Description of ancient temples and paintings” in which he describes the church monuments of the Liptov region and a bonus are old songs. The work that was in its times matchless should have been published in Matica slovenská. This didn’t happen, though, since Matica slovenská was disestablished. By his works Hýroš ranked among the Matica historians such as F. V. Sasinek, J. Záborský. Štefan Nikolaj Hýroš died in quietude and seclusion on the 30th of December 1888 in Liptovský Svätý Michal, the place that was dearest to his heart. Here, below the lindens, the symbols of the Slavs that he had planted he has also found his final rest. Lecturer
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