Elvin (also Elvinus; died after 1200) was a Hungarian prelate in the late 12th century, who served as Bishop of Várad (present-day Oradea, Romania) from 1189 to 1200.
Background
Elvin was born into a wealthy and prominent family, but his parentage and origin is unknown. He had a brother (or at least, relative; frater) Boleslaus, also a prelate, who served as Bishop of Vác from 1193 to 1212. They also had another undentified brother, the father of certain Othmar and Marhard. Based on the geographical location of their landholdings, historian Vince Bunyitay considered that both of them belonged to the gens (clan) Becsegergely. Early 19th-century historian János Bárdosy claimed both Boleslaus and Elvin were the sons of Both (also Bot or Bat), the ispán of Bihar County. Elvin possessed estates around the episcopal see Várad. He had a palace in Micske in Bihar County (today part of Chișlaz, Romania). He also possessed five vineyards in Bihar (present-day Biharia, Romania) and several villages along the river White Körös (Fehér-Körös or Crișul Alb).
King Béla III of Hungary sent Elvin to the University of Paris to study church music (melody or sequence) in 1192. László Solymosi questioned the identification between the prelate and the student, since in 12th century Hungary it was unusual for reigning bishops to be sent abroad to study; the clerics studying in Paris became suffragans after their return, as there are several examples from this time, for instance Lucas, Job and Adrian. Archivist György Pray recorded the diploma (which has since disappeared) from memory in a letter in 1779, so it is possible that the year is wrong and that Elvin studied in Paris sometime before 1189. This data was utilized by French music historian and composer Jean-Benjamin de La Borde in his work Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne (vol. 1) in 1780.
Bishop
According to the list of bishops by the cathedral chapter of Várad, Elvin was elected Bishop of Várad in 1189, succeeding Vata. During his episcopate, King Ladislaus I of Hungary – whose corpse laid in the cathedral of Várad – was canonized by Pope Celestine III in 1192, at the initiative of Béla III with the support of Job, Archbishop of Esztergom and Elvin. Prior to that, Cardinal Gregorius de Crescentio and other legal scholars visited the diocese in order to investigate the miracles of Ladislaus' tomb in 1191. Several months of solemn ceremony took place in the diocese during 1192. Literary historian László Dobszay considered the subsequent official hymn of St. Ladislaus with French influence reflects the studies of Elvin in Paris. After the exhumation, Elvin donated pieces of the relic to several churches, for instance to the newly founded collegiate chapter of Szeben (present-day Sibiu, Romania).