Operation of the State Security “VÍR” against secret communities
of Franciscans and School sisters in Slovakia in 1983

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Autor/ Author: Patrik Dubovský

In: Kultúrne dejiny

ISSN: 1338-2209 (Print)

ISSN: 2989–3313 (Online)

Ročník/ Volume: 16

Číslo/ Issue: Supplement

Strany/ Page Range: 27-42

Rok vydania/ Publication Year: 2025

Jazyk/ Language: Slovak

Vydavateľ/ Publisher: VERBUM – vydavateľstvo Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku

Abstrakt/ Abstract: During the so-called normalization in Czechoslovakia, the orders again began to work in secret. One of the orders active in this way were the Franciscans and the School sisters. Since the mid-1970s, the Franciscans had the strongest communities in Bratislava and in Košice. School sisters lived in secret practically all over Slovakia. In 1982, the communist State Security managed to uncover these secret Franciscan structures. The Ministry of the Interior thus gradually prepared an intervention against the secret Franciscan communities, which Operation called “VÍR”. On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1983 they launched this action as an intervention against Franciscan houses throughout Czechoslovakia. In Slovakia, especially against the mentioned group of Franciscans in Bratislava and Košice and in several places where the School sisters lived. Several were arrested, imprisoned, their belongings and books confiscated and accused of anti-state activities. A wave of protests arose against this in the world and in Czechoslovakia. The letter of protest to the President of the CSSR Gustáv Husák was signed by more than 80 personalities of dissent and the hidden church. Finally, in the summer of 1983, all those detained were released, and the Operation “VÍR” ended in failure and fiasco for the ŠtB and the communist regime.

Kľúčové slová/ Keywords: Secret Franciscans, Normalization, State Security Intervention, Action “VÍR”.

Citácia/ How to cite:

DUBOVSKÝ, Patrik, 2025. Akcia Štátnej bezpečnosti „VÍR“ proti tajným komunitám františkánov a školských sestier na Slovensku v roku 1983. Kultúrne dejiny. Online. Roč. 16, č. Supplement, s. 27-42. ISSN 1338-2209 (Print). ISSN 2989–3313 (Online). Dostupné na:

Toto dielo je publikované pod/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.