Augustin Hofmann

Coat of arms of the Einsiedeln monastery (left) and the official coat of arms of Augustin Hofmann (right) above the hermit's house

Augustin Hofmann (also Abbot Augustin I of Einsiedeln ; * 1556 in Einsiedeln ; † March 2, 1629 ibid) was a Benedictine priest and prince abbot of Einsiedeln .

Life

Hofmann was the son of a teacher. He was first headmaster in Baden and then returned to the monastery school in Einsiedeln. Hofmann himself entered the Benedictine order . In 1572 he celebrated his profession and, after dealing with theology, he was ordained a priest in 1579 . In 1584 he became subprior of the Einsiedeln monastery . The following year, 1585, he was given the office of dean . He was also the monastery organist in Einsiedeln for many years .

Hofmann was elected abbot of the Einsiedeln monastery on October 15, 1600 and is sometimes named as the second founder of the monastery. Among his merits are the reorganization of the monastery administration and the consolidation of monastic life. He also had Christoph Hartmann write a chronicle of the monastery, played a key role in the founding of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation in 1602, and in the same year initiated the construction of the monastery library , which he expanded during his tenure. He also sent members of the monastery community to universities. The monastery church was also redesigned during his tenure. In addition, he tried to strengthen the church music in the monastery.

During his tenure, Hofmann had the women's monastery in Au near Einsiedeln rebuilt and in 1623 acquired the lords of Gachnang and Freudenfels . Efforts to raise the abbot of Einsiedeln and thus Hofmann to the position of bishop of a newly created diocese of Central Switzerland failed due to the resistance of the Constance prince-bishop Jakob Fugger .

Works

Hofmann's writings are mainly manuscripts. He only printed in several editions Speculum poenitentiae or Bußspiegel, ie Das Leben Mariä Magdalenä . The first edition was published in Constance in 1597.

literature

PGW: Hofmann, Augustin, Prince Abbot of Einsiedeln . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 12, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1880, p. 626.
Albert Hug: Hofmann, Augustin. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . January 8, 2008 , accessed February 15, 2018 .

Web links

Wikisource: Augustin Hofmann - Sources and full texts

Works by and about Augustin Hofmann in the German Digital Library

Individual evidence

↑ The plan to elevate the Lucerne Deanery of the Diocese of Constance to a "Waldstätter Diocese" existed for centuries, but was never realized. See Fritz Glauser: Central Switzerland. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . February 19, 2015 , accessed July 8, 2019 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Ulrich Wittwiler (Ulrich III.)	Prince Abbot of Einsiedeln 1600–1629	Plazidus Reimann

personal data
SURNAME	Hofmann, Augustin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Abbot Augustin I of Einsiedeln
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Benedictine priest and abbot of Einsiedeln
DATE OF BIRTH	1556
PLACE OF BIRTH	Einsiedeln
DATE OF DEATH	March 2, 1629
Place of death	Einsiedeln

[1] The plan to elevate the Lucerne Deanery of the Diocese of Constance to a "Waldstätter Diocese" existed for centuries, but was never realized. See Fritz Glauser: Central Switzerland. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . February 19, 2015 , accessed July 8, 2019 .