Anton Spiehler (priest)

Cathedral Capitular Anton Spiehler (1795–1867)

Tombstone Cathedral Chapter Anton Spiehler, Cathedral Chapter Cemetery near St. Bernhard, Speyer

Funerary inscription from Cathedral Chapter Anton Spiehler

Anton Spiehler (born January 9, 1795 in Bellheim , † August 8, 1867 in Speyer ) was a Catholic priest , bishop's secretary, clergyman and cathedral capitular of the diocese of Speyer , as well as sub-rain of the diocesan seminary and summus custos (guardian) of the Speyer cathedral. He belonged to the so-called Mainz Circle .

Life

Anton Spiehler was born on January 9th, 1795 in Bellheim in the south Palatinate , Principality of Speyer. After the French occupation of the German areas on the left of the Rhine, according to the Concordat of 1801 between Pope Pius VII and Napoleon , dioceses that were identical in area were established at the departmental seats. The old dioceses were declared dissolved (with regard to their left bank, now French areas). At that time Bellheim belonged to the French Département du Mont-Tonnerre with its head office in Mainz . The parts of the old dioceses of Mainz , Worms and Speyer on the left bank of the Rhine were combined to form this large diocese . The new bishop was Joseph Colmar , an outstanding man who completely reformed the church in this area and, with his seminary rain of Bruno Liebermann, set up a seminary that is widely known for excellent training and church loyalty. Under her aegis and from her students, the so-called Mainz Circle was formed , to which many influential, mostly clergy people of the 19th century can be assigned.

Anton Spiehler entered the seminary of his new diocese in Mainz and was ordained a priest there on March 30, 1817 by Bishop Joseph Colmar. After the end of the French era, the southern part of the Greater Diocese of Mainz was separated again in 1817 and the new Diocese of Speyer was formed from it, which also included Bellheim, Spiehler's hometown. The factual separation of the two districts, which now also belonged to different countries - namely Bavaria and Hesse - dragged on until 1821.

First Spiehler officiated in the northern (Hessian) part of the diocese, as pastor of Gau-Heppenheim and at the same time as chaplain of Alzey . In 1819 he was transferred to the Palatinate (Bavarian) Großkarlbach near Grünstadt , where he worked until 1827. Großkarlbach was one of those parishes in the southern part of the diocese that fell to the new (Bavarian) diocese of Speyer when the diocese was separated, where Spiehler was based and has now stayed. In 1827 he came to Maikammer briefly as a pastor . The recently introduced Speyer bishop Johann Martin Manl appointed him as cathedral vicar and secretary on September 20, 1827. Here he worked together with Franz Xaver Remling , who had held this office since August 7th. Spiehler was present as bishop's secretary when Bishop Manl received King Ludwig I of Bavaria on Whit Monday, June 9, 1829, in Speyer Cathedral, whom he visited on the occasion of a trip to the Palatinate. On June 15, 1835, he accompanied Johann Martin Manl to his new residence in Eichstätt , where he was now appointed bishop. Franz Xaver Remling reports in his work "Modern History of the Bishops of Speyer" that Cathedral Chapter Franz Christoph Günther and seminar rain Johannes Groh also traveled to Bruchsal . From here the bishop and his secretary Spiehler would have continued the journey alone. They arrived - via Munich - on June 27, 1836 in Eichstätt. Spiehler took part in the inauguration of the bishop before he went back to Speyer. According to Remling, he was housed in the Eichstätter clerical seminar during this time.

Anton Spiehler acted from 1827 to 1839 as subregens and teacher for liturgy at the seminary in Speyer. He had been proposed by Bishop Manl as a full professor for the planned theological faculty. However, the plan to set up a university in Speyer failed. Spiehler also taught religion at the Latin school in Speyer, in 1839 he was entrusted by Bishop Johann Jakob von Geissel with the responsible position of a registrar in the episcopal ordinariate, through whose hands all incoming and outgoing letters passed. Even then, there seems to have been violations of "data protection" and Geissel apparently chose Spiehler because he trusted him in this regard. Franz Xaver Remling reports on Cardinal Geissel in his biography:

“ On November 30, 1839, the previous sub-regens and cathedral vicar Spiehler was appointed registrar. The bishop explicitly stated: 'That up to now the trade secret has not been properly observed here and there and that if from now on he becomes aware of such a case again, he will raise the matter and impose a fine of 10-15 thalers in that the very honor of the position requires that its negotiations not be put into circulation in ordinary chats. ' "

- Franz Xaver Remling , Cardinal von Geissel, in life and work, Speyer 1873

When Bishop Nikolaus von Weis took office in July 1842, he appointed the episcopal registrar Anton Spiehler as ceremonial. Franz Xaver Remling also records this:

“ The new chief shepherd appointed cathedral vicar Anton Spiehler as episcopal ceremonial , who now accompanied him exclusively on his confirmation and visitation trips, with condescending courtesy and friendliness towards pastoral care, until he was appointed to this office in 1853 by cathedral vicar and episcopal secretary Wilhelm Molitor replaced. "

- Franz Xaver Remling , biography of Nikolaus von Weis, Volume I, page 67

From a visitation trip to the dean's office in Kirchheimbolanden , Spiehler and Bishop Weis went together to the St. Rock pilgrimage in nearby Trier , where they arrived on August 29, 1844. Later they received an official "admonition" because they had gone on this pilgrimage abroad (Prussia) without prior notice.

On October 15, 1848, Anton Spiehler, as secretary and cathedral capitular, accompanied Bruno Würschmitt as theological advisor, Bishop Nikolaus von Weis to the first meeting of the German bishops in Würzburg , which lasted until November 17 of the same year. The bishop and his two companions lived together in the local Minorite monastery.

King Maximilian II appointed Anton Spiehler, on March 9, 1849, at the request of Bishop Nikolaus von Weis , as cathedral chapter . Later he advanced to the summus custos (guardian) of the Speyer Cathedral . Cathedral Chapter Remling gives interesting background information on this, which shows how much the bishop valued his ceremonial:

“ On November 9, 1848, death called the oldest cathedral chapter, Christoph Günther, to the grave. Several pastors and two clergymen from Speyer submitted requests for this position. One of the pastors had all the more well-founded hope of receiving it, since the Minister for Church and School Affairs had proposed him to his Majesty for appointment in the first rank. This hope was thwarted when the bishop, in his letter of congratulations for the New Year, to King Max, his ceremonial and previous companion on the confirmation journeys, recommended the cathedral vicar Spiehler for the most gracious consideration. On March 9, 1849, Spiehler received the royal appointment to the completed canonical, into whose possession he was introduced on the 9th of the following month. "

- Franz Xaver Remling , biography of Nikolaus von Weis, Volume II, page 388

Anton Spiehler died on August 8, 1867, of a "repeated stroke" and is buried in the old cemetery in Speyer . His tomb is now located in the cathedral chapter cemetery, which is demarcated there, next to the St. Bernard Church. His successor as cathedral chapter was the director of the episcopal Konvikt, Dr. Dietrich Becker .

literature

• Franz Xaver Remling : Cardinal von Geissel, Bishop of Speyer and Archbishop of Cologne in life and work . Verlag Ferdinand Kleeberger, Speyer 1873, page 61, footnote 70.
• Franz Xaver Remling: Nikolaus von Weis, Bishop of Speyer, in life and work . Verlag Ferdinand Kleeberger, Speyer 1871, Volume I, Page 67, Volume II, Page 388 u. in other places.
• Franz Xaver Remling: Modern history of the bishops of Speyer . Publisher Ferdinand Kleeberger, Speyer 1867.
• Ludwig Stamer : Church history of the Palatinate, Vol. 4: 1801-1918. History of the Speier diocese under the rule of the Bavarian kings . Pilger-Verlag, Speyer 1964, page 102.
• Guido Nonn: The canons since the reestablishment of the Speyer diocese, in 1817 (writings of the diocesan archive; vol. 5). Diocesan Archives, Speyer 1981, page 33.