Dominik Lebschy

Dominik Lebschy, lithograph by Adolf Dauthage , 1855

Dominik (Anton) Lebschy (born October 23, 1799 in Vienna ; † July 1, 1884 in Schlägl ) was abbot in Schlägl Abbey from 1838 until his death and governor of Upper Austria from 1861 to 1868 .

Live and act

Coat of arms of Schlägl Abbey and image of Dominik Lebschy on the door of the chapel in Holzschlag in the municipality of Klaffer am Hochficht

Anton Lebschy was the son of a paralegal and was brought up in the spirit of Josephinism that was prevalent at the time . After completing the Academic Gymnasium in Vienna, at the request of Abbot Adolf Fähtz and a proposal from the Vienna City Convention, he entered the Mühlviertel in 1820 and entered the Premonstratensian Canons' Monastery in Schlägl , studied after the novitiate at the Linz Lyceum , took the perpetual vows in 1823 and was ordained a priest in 1825 .

After further studies, educational activity with the Count of Thürheim in Schwertberg and teaching at the Linz grammar school , he was professor of philosophy at the Salzburg Lyceum from 1833 to 1838 .

After his election as abbot of Schlägl Monastery on April 5, 1838, he began building measures that gave the monastery its current appearance, such as the renovation of the tower (1839) and the expansion of the west wing after a fire (1850). He had the churches of Kirchschlag , Mirotitz bei Pisek , the parishes of Friedberg , Kirchschlag and Ulrichsberg built or renewed. For the collegiate church he of Augustin Palme the high altar make and earned ecclesiastical devices like a Corpus Christi - canopy and vestments (Christmas and Osterornat). He succeeded in overcoming the effects of Josephinism on the spiritual and economic life of the monastery, which is why he is one of the most important mallet abbots.

He was instrumental in restoring the Premonstratensian religious order, which had been dissolved since 1781. He retired as a member of the prelate stand in the feudal state parliament and was in 1844 parliamentary commissioner , and in 1845 a member of the council college , which he headed from 1849 to 1852.

In 1852 he became the deputy governor of the provincial college and with a letter from Anton von Schmerling dated March 31, 1861, he was appointed by Emperor Franz Joseph I as the first governor of Austria on the Enns . He was relieved of this office at his own request on May 15, 1868 and he also resigned as a member of parliament. In the last years of his life he developed an increasingly authoritarian leadership style.

Lebschy was active in the management of numerous associations, including the Verein der Allgemeine Sparcasse and the Upper Austrian Art Association (1855 to 1869).

literature

• Uhl:  Dominik Lebschy. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 5, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1972, p. 67 f. (Direct links on p. 67 , p. 68 ).
• Dominik Lebschy. In: Upper Austrian news. May 19, 2006.
• Eleonore Uhl: Dominik Anton Lebschy, Abbot of Schlägl and Governor of Upper Austria. Contributions to a biography and the history of Schlägl Abbey. (= Schlägler writings. Volume 1). Upper Austrian Provincial Publishing House, Linz 1980.