Anna Nitschmann

Anna Nitschmann

Anna Nitschmann (born November 24, 1715 in Kunewald , Moravia; † May 21, 1760 in Herrnhut ) belonged to the Moravian Brethren and became known for her song poems.

Life

Anna Nitschmann was born on November 24th, 1715 in Kunewald im Kuhländchen . Her family belonged to the Bohemian Brethren community and was persecuted in their homeland. Her father David Nitschmann and older brother Melchior were imprisoned for their beliefs, but were able to flee to Herrnhut, where they lived from 1725.

Anna Nitschmann organized the community of young women under the impression of Moravian piety. Already at the age of fourteen she was chosen by lot as the eldest of the unmarried young women. Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf warned her not to accept the election, but Anna Nitschmann pointed out that it was God's decision by lot and that she could not refuse the election. As a "blessed disciple", Anna became a role model for the women in Herrnhut.

Grave of Anna Nitschmann on the Herrnhuter Gottesacker

Just a few weeks after the election, she and 18 other women formed a group who knew they were so attached to Jesus that marriage became secondary. This group grew in the following years and provided a permanent staff of missionaries. She herself went to America as a missionary with her father and cousin in 1740 , where she helped to build up the communities of Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) and Nazareth (Pennsylvania) .

Nitschmann wrote more than 30 songs for the hymn book of the Brethren, which, unlike the songs of Zinzendorf, have not found their way into the regional church hymn book.

Anna Nitschmann aroused Zinzendorf's interest. She refused his marriage proposals twice . Zinzendorf's relationship with Anna Nitschmann put a lot of strain on his wife Erdmuthe Dorothea von Zinzendorf . One year after her death on June 19, 1756, Anna Nitschmann agreed to marry Zinzendorf. They married on June 27, 1757, albeit quietly. It was not until November 1758 that they officially announced their marriage.

Three years later, on May 21, 1760, Anna Nitschmann died, two weeks after the death of her husband. Both were buried next to Erdmuthe Dorothea von Zinzendorf on the Hutberg in Herrnhut.

Works

Anna Nitschmann is known for the lyrics she composed for the hymn book of the Moravian Brethren .

• Lord Jesus Christ, my life
• Now say amen to this!
• The near and far

Web links

• Biography on zinzendorf.com ( Memento from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English)