Dionysius Andrássy

Dionysius Count Andrássy

Dionysius Stephan Georg Klement Count Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály and Krasznahorka (born November 18, 1835 in Krasznahorkahosszúrét , Kingdom of Hungary ; † February 23, 1913 in Palermo , Sicily , Kingdom of Italy ) was a Hungarian nobleman and patron of the arts, member of the upper house of the Hungarian Diet and chairman of the Hungarian Heraldic and Genealogical Society.

Life

Dionysius was born as the elder son of Count Georg Andrássy and his wife Francisca von Königsegg-Aulendorf . The Andrássy s were an old Hungarian noble family from Transylvania , which split into two lines at the beginning of the 18th century (the older "Betler / Betliar" line and the so-called younger line: "monoki és hosszúréti ag", which also Dionysius belonged).

Even at a young age, the young Dionysius rebelled against the conservative upbringing of families, which was then common in aristocratic circles. It is known that he particularly enjoyed staying among the servants of the lordship and liked to play with the village boys. When he was sent to the Hungarian Court Chancellery in Vienna in the 1860s to learn the diplomatic trade, he slipped completely from family supervision. His father wanted him to pursue a diplomatic career, but the son had no inclination to do so, he was more interested in literature and art, especially painting. Nor did he want to spend most of his life abroad as a diplomat.

Andrássy Mausoleum in Krasznahorka

During his stay in Vienna he met his future wife, Franziska Hablawetz , who came from a middle-class family . She was the daughter of the concert master of the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra . On April 6, 1866, he married Franziska against his parents' wishes in Pisa, Italy . His father disinherited him because of this morganatic marriage and appointed his younger brother Georg Peter as heir and majorate lord . Thereupon Dionysius withdrew with his wife from public life completely. They lived secluded in their villas on the Hohe Warte in Döbling , in Graz or Munich . They rarely visited Hungary. He was only once on his home estate with his wife to show her the place of his childhood. After the younger brother died as a young man in 1881, the huge family fortune fell back on Dionysius.

The couple used large parts of the property, which Andrássy managed from abroad, for charitable purposes. Church, cultural and charitable institutions were actively promoted and supported. Numerous churches, orphanages, schools and hospitals are being built, financed by Andrássy.

On March 8, 1913, Dionysius Andrássy was buried in the mausoleum of Krasznahorka. On the right of the picture is Géza Graf Andrássy (* 1856, † 1938) with son Manó II (* 1892, † 1953).

After a happy but childless marriage that lasted 36 years, Franziska died in Munich in 1902. The husband was heartbroken and traveled the world alone. He decided to build a magnificent mausoleum (in Byzantine style ) made of white Carrara marble for his wife, who was the great love of his life in Krasznahorka . He himself laid the foundation stone and personally supervised the construction work. When the mausoleum was completed in 1904, he had the mortal remains of his wife from Munich transferred there. When he was reburied, he had a hearse made for his wife's coffin, which transported the coffin from the train station to the mausoleum.

After the death of his wife, Dionysius Andrássy continued to do charitable work. He had numerous paintings and objets d'art posthumously brought to Krasznahorka in honor of his wife in order to build a Franziska Memorial Museum. In 1906 he was appointed a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences .

Dionysius Andrássy died in Italy on February 23, 1913. However, his remains were brought to his homeland and he was buried in the mausoleum he built next to his beloved wife.

literature

Magyar Életajzi Lexicon. Budapest 1981, Volume 3, p. 12, ISBN 963-05-2500-3 (Hungarian)

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Georg Andrássy (born February 5, 1797 in Kaschau , † December 19, 1872 in Vienna) was the Obergespan of Sáros County .
↑ Franziska Hablawetz (born October 4, 1838 in Vienna, † 24 October 1902 in Munich)
↑ Georg Peter Klement Stephan (* January 24, 1846, † July 4, 1881 in Madeira ) was the younger brother of Dionysius. Georg Peter had been ailing since he was young and never married. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 35 .

personal data
SURNAME	Andrássy, Dionysius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály and Krasznahorka, Dionysius Stephan Georg Klement Graf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Hungarian nobleman and patron of the arts, member of the House of Lords in the Hungarian Reichstag
DATE OF BIRTH	November 18, 1835
PLACE OF BIRTH	Krasznahorkahosszúrét , Kingdom of Hungary
DATE OF DEATH	February 23, 1913
Place of death	Palermo , Sicily , Kingdom of Italy

[1] Georg Andrássy (born February 5, 1797 in Kaschau , † December 19, 1872 in Vienna) was the Obergespan of Sáros County .

[2] Franziska Hablawetz (born October 4, 1838 in Vienna, † 24 October 1902 in Munich)

[3] Georg Peter Klement Stephan (* January 24, 1846, † July 4, 1881 in Madeira ) was the younger brother of Dionysius. Georg Peter had been ailing since he was young and never married. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 35 .