History of village

The village is lying on the foot of the mountain Cserhát, at the well of the stream Macskás and at the concurrence of three historical districts: Nógrád, Gömör and Borsod.

 About the archeological findings at the borders of Péterfala we have only a few information. At the excavations of Lord Jenő Nyáry there were found some findings form the Bronze Age and from the New Stone Age, which played an important role in the history of the hungarian archeology. The village-building in this area has started only at end of the 12^th century at the beginning of the 13^th century.

The history of the village begins with the settlement Sáros, which was founded by the family Sárosi, who belonged to the castle people of Bolondóc. By the from Sáros swarming aristocracy were founded Kissáros and Péterfala. This village is named in a deed of donation from the year 1244 as Petri. Later moves here the whole inhabitance (that is why Péterfala is still named by any people as Sáros – Saaros alio nomine Petherfalwa), the original mother village has been desolated and lives further only as a  tradition.

In the first half of the 14^th century is originating Kökényes, Eperjes, Répás and Tamástelke, these were some time later desolated. Only Sáros whose church was consecrated to the trinity and named in 1275 and his descendant Péterfala have been daring with the time.

In the 15^th century the village has suffered from the power-plays of the aristocracy. In 1443 the lord of Serke has charged at the Sáros-church and took everything that could be moved.

The political situation in the first half of the 16^th century could be felt in the village too (double kingdom, fights and slips of the soldiers). In 1566 are existing only four tributary houses in the village, the bigger part of the inhabitants has escaped because of the Turkish attacks. According to the notices from this period this territory was desolated by the Turkish people at most, because it is near to Fülek, where Ottomans had one of their centres.  After that the Ottomans are tailing off the assessments and canceling the villain, the bondsmen are coming back and in the year 1600 there are standing 15 houses in the village and they begin to cut down the trees. From this time are talking the names Vadókás, Fenyvesköz, Bukksortás, Kerekág, Farkasverem, etc. The settlement is becoming more developed, but in 1682 the Ottomans were going to Fülek, attacked at the village and rubbed it. The village returns from this shock, but in the next year the polish army was coming through this territory and the soldiers on their way to Vienna have ruined the village and burnt it. The village was completely destroyed, also after 10 years is nobody living there. The life starts only slow, but in the year 1703 we can find the community between the aristocratic villages. 

Of the political situation of Péterfala in the 18^th century are indicating the good social and economical relations and also the resolution about the prohibition of the cutting down the trees. Through that the territory of the village was distributed. The result of this is the structure of the village today.

After the melting down of Sáros Péterfala became to parochial church with their old church. The reformation did not achieve any results in this territory. The independent church was stinted till the  Ottomans were here, but the Trinity church survives also the liberating fights. It was renovated at many times, at the last time in 1909. In the years 1929-30 the inhabitants of the village are building a new church a little nearer to the community on the top of the hill above the houses.  

The name of the village was documented in many forms. Begun with the name Petri from the year 1244, after  that in the year 1427 it was Petherfalwa (Saaros alio nomine Petherfalwa). The documents written after 1700 are using the name Péterfalva and Péterfala too.  In 1906 it was named as Gömörpéterfalva and it is officially called today as Péterfalva (Petrovce).

Between his landowners are the families Péterfalvi, Sárosi, Recsky and in the 16^th century the Zabary and Csathó families. In the 18^th century the village is owned by Sándor Vécsey, Fáy Györgyné, Tihanyi Istvánné and Sámuel Sipos. The life in the community was always hard, but the people, who have been living here clinged to this territory with every power. The descendant of the boundsmen are living in the community  till now. In the recent times the inhabitanting families are Illés ( Ilees, Elles,...), Pelle ( Pele, Perle, Belle,...), Köböl ( Kobol, Koeböl,...), Tóth, etc.

According to the population census in 1748 – 1787 the number of inhabitants was 358. In the middle of the 19^th century  are named 528 and at the end of the 19^th century were it 591 inhabitants.

Today the number of the people in the village is by 220 what was influenced by the social politics of the previous regime. The people were not allowed to build houses in the small villages, that is why they either moved to the bigger towns or cities.