Basilia Gürth

Basilia Gürth OSB (born June 28, 1923 in Vienna ; † August 11, 2018 ) was abbess of the St. Gabriel Bertholdstein Monastery, painter and glass artist.

Life

Basilia Gürth was born in Vienna in 1923 as the only child of a publishing director and a teacher. She studied painting with Karl Sterrer at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna . In 1946 she entered the St. Gabriel Benedictine convent in Bertholdstein Castle near Fehring in Eastern Styria. After her profession, she was subprioress, prioress, novice master and finally headed the monastery as abbess from 1989 until her resignation in May 1998.

As a painter and artist, she attended the master class with Rudolf Szyszkowitz in Graz from 1959 to 1963 and the International Summer Academy for Fine Arts in Salzburg from 1968 to 1972 . She became known for her stained glass windows and portrait paintings . Over the years she has created more than two hundred glass windows, frescoes and panel paintings at home and abroad as well as numerous portraits of churchmen and women and stars from film and opera (including Nadja Tiller , Anneliese Rothenberger and Samy Molcho ). Glass windows designed by her are u. a. in the Franciscan Church in Graz , in the chapel of the Vorau regional hospital, in the Marienkron monastery , in Kremsmünster and in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna , as well as in numerous smaller churches and chapels.

In 1996 she was awarded the Great Gold Medal of Honor of the State of Styria .

literature

• Elisabeth Newzella: With a veil and a palette. Portrait of the old abbess Basilia Gürth OSB. Published by the Association of Friends of St. Gabriel Abbey. Weishaupt, Gnas 2008, ISBN 978-3-7059-0271-8 .

Web links

• Basilia Gürth in the Biographia Benedictina (Benediktinerlexikon.de)