Andreas von Oberstein (Cathedral Dean)

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Coat of arms of the Lords of Oberstein on the tomb of Canon Eberhard von Heppenheim called vom Saal († 1559), in the Worms Cathedral

Andreas von Oberstein (* 1533 in Gundheim ; † September 20, 1603 ) was a noble canon and important reformer in the Prince Diocese of Speyer .

Origin and family

He came from the Gundheim branch of the noble family of the Lords von Stein and von Oberstein , whose ancestral seat was Bosselstein Castle . In the 13th century, the family divided into the Lords of Oberstein , at Burg Bosselstein, and the later dominant Lords of Daun-Oberstein , at Schloss Oberstein, through marriage . The Lords of Oberstein finally gave up their ancestral castle Bosselstein and split again around 1400 into a Gundheimer and a Kredenburger line to Alsterweiler . While the Daun-Obersteiners had the Dauner lattice in their coat of arms, the Obersteiner showed a crowned red lion on a silver background.

Andreas von Oberstein was born as the son of the Gundheim lord of the castle Johann Sifried von Oberstein († 1556) and his wife Anastasia nee. von Steinkallenfels († after 1533). His half-sister (from another mother) was Barbara von Oberstein, married Rodenstein , the mother of the later Prince-Bishop of Worms Philipp von Rodenstein (1564-1604), whose guardian Andreas von Oberstein acted as his guardian. The Prince-Bishop of Worms Georg Anton von Rodenstein (1579–1652) was his nephew through another half-sister (Anna Helena) and was raised by him. Dorothea von Oberstein, another half-sister, married Conrad von Heppenheim called vom Saal . Her daughter Anna (married von der Leyen ) became the grandmother of the famous Archbishop of Mainz, Johann Philipp von Schönborn (1605–1673).

In addition, Andreas von Oberstein was a cousin of the former Speyer cathedral dean Johannes von Heppenheim called vom Saal († 1555) and his sister, Abbess Barbara von Heppenheim called vom Saal († 1567). Both mother Katharina von Heppenheim called vom Saal, geb. von Oberstein, was a sister of the father of Andreas von Oberstein.

Live and act

Oberstein took his oath as the Speyer canon on May 2nd, 1551 , after completing his studies, he was admitted to the cathedral chapter on July 20th, 1556 . Soon he advanced to cathedral scholaster and Bishop Marquard von Hattstein transferred to him on October 21, 1561 the business of his deputy in absence as well as the duties of a vicar general . On his behalf, Andreas von Oberstein was already at the Curia in Rome in 1560 . In the spring of 1566, Bishop Marquard sent him as his representative to the Reichstag in Augsburg , at the end of 1567 he appointed him governor in the bishopric during an absence .

The Bruchsal collegiate chapter elected Andreas von Oberstein as its provost ; after the death of the active cathedral dean of Speyer, Philipp von Walpron, he was named his successor on November 29, 1568. He was then ordained a priest and celebrated his primacy at Pentecost in 1569 .

Andreas von Oberstein was one of the most zealous reformers in Speyer as defined by the Council of Trent . He lived an impeccable life and worked as a conscientious clergyman. He campaigned in the cathedral chapter for the appointment of the Jesuits to Speyer, which was decided in the session of January 17, 1567. On July 6th of that year he negotiated personally with St. Petrus Canisius (still as a cathedral scholaster) about the establishment of the Speyer College . In this regard, Father Didacus Jimenez wrote to the Order General Franz von Borgia that the Speyer cathedral chapter left all important negotiating matters to the Oberstein Cathedral Scholaster. On May 5, 1567, the Jesuits had already taken over teaching at the Speyer Cathedral School, but the formal founding of the college dragged on through quarrels with the city, which mainly dean Andreas von Oberstein fought out until 1571.

Grave slab of the sister-in-law Rosina von Oberstein geb. Schliederer von Lachen (wife of his brother Rudolf von Oberstein), Liebfrauenkirche Worms

In 1577, Provost Wolfgang X. von Dalberg (later Archbishop of Mainz), Andreas von Oberstein and the imperial court chancellor Johann von Hegenmüller († 1584) traveled to Cologne to assist the papal nuncio Bartolomeo Porcia in clearing up the turmoil there, which Archbishop Salentin von Isenburg exclaimed, who was about to resign from his office to be able to get married. Porcia wrote in his reports to Rome that Andreas von Oberstein was one of the best and most deserving men in all of Germany, that he was very respectable, as everyone can confirm and that the Jesuits in Speyer in particular knew. If the clergy in Speyer live more decently than in other cities, it is up to Dean Oberstein "a pious and very clever man who exercises his office with great care" .

Andreas von Oberstein repeatedly contemplated resigning from his office to join the Carthusian order; especially after a three-week retreat in the pre-fasting period of 1574. He repeatedly explained this intention to the cathedral chapter, but could always be persuaded to refrain from it. He was probably inspired to do this by his relative, the Speyer canon Caspar Schliederer von Lachen († 1585), who became a Carthusian in 1569. His sister Rosina Schliederer von Lachen (1544-1615) was married to Rudolf von Oberstein, the brother of cathedral dean Andreas von Oberstein.

He wanted his closest colleague Adolph Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht , who was elected after Andreas von Oberstein died on September 20, 1603, to succeed him in the office of dean of the cathedral . He conscientiously continued its building work.

literature

  • Ludwig Stamer : Church history of the Palatinate , 3rd part, 1st volume, pp. 28–30 a. 131–132, Pilger Verlag Speyer, 1954

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gerhard Fouquet: The Speyer Cathedral Chapter in the late Middle Ages (approx. 1350-1540) , Verlag der Gesellschaft für Mittelrheinische Kirchengeschichte, Mainz, 1987, p. 692 u. 693
  2. ^ Website on the von Oberstein aristocratic family ( Memento from January 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Heraldry website on the Lords of Oberstein
  4. ↑ Website on Gundheim Castle
  5. ^ Website Heimatverein Gundheim, with dates of parents' death
  6. ↑ Genealogical page on the bishop's parents and their children (last entry on the page) ( Memento of December 6, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ Bernd Moeller, Bruno Jahn: German Biographical Encyclopedia of Theology and the Churches (DBETh) , Verlag Walter de Gruyter, 2005, p. 1135, ISBN 3110959887 ; (Digital scan)
  8. ^ Genealogical website about Anna von Heppenheim called vom Saal
  9. ^ Genealogical page on the siblings
  10. ↑ Genealogical website on the relationships between Schliederer and Oberstein
  11. ↑ Website of the grave slab of the sister-in-law Rosina von Oberstein born Schliederer von Lachen, Liebfrauenkirche Worms
personal data
SURNAME Oberstein, Andreas von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION noble canon and important reformer in the Principality of Speyer
DATE OF BIRTH 1533
PLACE OF BIRTH Gundheim
DATE OF DEATH September 20, 1603