Basilius Niederberger

Basilius Niederberger (born June 3, 1893 in Stans as Franz Daniel Niederberger , † November 17, 1977 in Breitenbach SO ) was a Swiss Benedictine and abbot of the Mariastein monastery .

Life

Franz Daniel Niederberger was born as a citizen of Dallenwil in Stans , Canton Nidwalden . He attended the high school with the Capuchins in Stans and at the collegiate school of the Benedictine monastery in Einsiedeln . In 1915 he joined the Benedictine order by joining the Mariastein monastery community , which was then in exile in Austria in the St. Gallus monastery in Bregenz . During his profession on September 25, 1916, he accepted the religious name Basilius. He studied theology at the University of Friborg (Switzerland) , was ordained a priest in Friborg in 1920 and in 1922 with the dissertation «The theory of the Logos of St. Cyril of Jerusalem »PhD.

In Bregenz he then worked as a professor at the theological school of the St. Gallus monastery. Even after he was appointed prior by Abbot Augustinus Borer in 1923 , Basilius Niederberger continued his teaching activities. On March 31, 1937, he was elected Abbot of Mariastein to succeed Abbot Augustine.

After the Gestapo dissolved the St. Gallus monastery in 1941, the expelled monks from the canton of Solothurn were granted asylum in their home monastery in Mariastein, which was closed in 1874. In 1944 Abbot Basilius opened the novitiate in Mariastein and in 1945 reintroduced the theological school.

From 1960 to 1967 he was President of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation . In this capacity, Abbot Basilius took part in the Second Vatican Council as a council father .

It was only after long negotiations and a Solothurn referendum on June 7, 1970 that the Mariastein monastery could be restored under constitutional law.

After the solemn restoration of the abbey on June 21, 1971, Abbot Basilius resigned on July 8 of the same year for reasons of age. He spent the last years of his life mainly in the sister house of Höngen near Laupersdorf . He died in the Breitenbach hospital and is buried in Mariastein.

literature

• Lukas Schenker: Beinwil-Mariastein . In: Helvetia Sacra . Dept. III, vol. 1/1. Francke, Bern 1986, ISBN 3-317-01533-0 , pp. 420–421 (section Basilius Niederberger, 1937–1971 ).
• Vinzenz Stebler: † Abbot Basilius Niederberger . In: Mariastein . Vol. 23 (54), No. 8 , 1977, pp. 253-255 .
• Anselm Bütler: † Retired Dr. B. Niederberger, Mariastein . In: Northern Switzerland . Vol. 89, No. 276 , November 25, 1977.
• st .: old abbot Dr. Basilius Niederberger died . In: Northern Switzerland . Vol. 89, No. 271 , November 19, 1977.

predecessor	Office	successor
Augustin Borer	Abbot of Mariastein 1937–1971	Mauritius prince
Benno good	Abbot praeses of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation 1960–1967	Leonhard Boesch