Elias Daniel von Sommerfeld

Elias Daniel von Sommerfeld (also Elias von Sommerfeld ; born April 7, 1681 in Birkholz near Schwiebus , Duchy of Glogau ; † July 26, 1742 in Breslau ) was titular bishop of Leontopolis and from 1714 to 1742 auxiliary bishop in Breslau .

Life

His parents were Theodor von Sommerfeld, heir to Birkholz, and Anna Katharina, née von Hoffmann. Both were Protestant by birth, but since Theodor had converted to Catholicism in his youth , he had his children baptized and raised Catholic.

Elias Daniel studied Humaniora with the Glogau Jesuits until 1696 , then philosophy at the Breslau Jesuit College . There he received the minor orders on June 5, 1700 . On the recommendation of the rector, he studied from October 1700 as an alum at the Collegium Germanicum in Rome. On March 22, 1704 received in the Lateran Church , the priesthood and his doctorate four days later in Perugia for a doctor of theology . On October 13, 1702 he received a canonical at the Breslau Cathedral and on June 13, 1704 he was admitted to the cathedral chapter , where he achieved an important position. Together with the dean Count Frankenberg, he worked out a draft with which the provisions on admission to the cathedral chapter were rewritten. The statutes were approved by the general chapter on June 2, 1722 and remained in force until the secularization of the chapter in 1810.

As he enjoyed the trust of Bishop Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg , he was appointed as his successor after the death of Auxiliary Bishop Anton Ignaz Müntzer on February 25, 1714. The papal confirmation took place on June 11, 1714 at the same time as the appointment as titular bishop of Leontopolis . The episcopal ordination by the Nuncio Spinola took place on August 19, 1714 in St. Jerome's Church in Vienna. On November 3, 1719, he was appointed a scholastic by Bishop Franz Ludwig . Since Bishop Franz Ludwig rarely resided in Breslau, he entrusted his auxiliary bishop Sommerfeld with a variety of tasks, including a general visitation of the diocese in 1718 , which lasted until 1723. The visitation protocols created by Sommerfeld can u. a. it can be inferred that he was committed to a better education of the clergy .

He made particular merits in founding an alumnate for the Wroclaw candidates for priesthood, which was opened in 1731. The statutes were drawn up on the model of the Collegium Germanicum. In the same year he consecrated the monastery church of Wahlstatt on October 7 and on May 15, 1732 the statue of the Bohemian saint John of Nepomuk in front of the Wroclaw Kreuzkirche, created by Johann Georg Urbansky .

After the death of Bishop Franz Ludwig in 1732, Auxiliary Bishop Sommerfeld was one of the most promising candidates in the upcoming bishopric election. He had no chance, however, as the imperial family used all means to enforce the Raab bishop, Cardinal Philipp Ludwig von Sinzendorf .

Since the religious instruction of the youth was of great concern to him, he published a new catechism with ecclesiastical printing permission . It was published in 1735 under the title Brief Author Catholic Doctrine, or Summa Christian Doctrine, to the inexperienced hearts and young children . It was printed in Breslau by the Prince-Bishop's court book printer Karl Friedrich Hilsen.

After the occupation of Silesia by Prussia in the First Silesian War in 1741 , Auxiliary Bishop Sommerfeld and other members of the cathedral chapter refused to pay homage to the Prussian King Friedrich II . Therefore he left Breslau on August 26, 1741 and temporarily went to the Polish parts of the diocese, where he also carried out pontifical acts. Auxiliary Bishop Sommerfeld only returned to Breslau after Archduchess Maria Theresa, in her capacity as Queen of Bohemia, freed the cathedral chapter from the oath of loyalty she had taken.

During his 28-year term in office, Auxiliary Bishop Sommerfeld performed countless pontifical acts. I.a. He ordained priests in 1819, infuled 28 prelates and abbots and appointed four abbesses. He also consecrated 55 churches and on December 6, 1728 laid the foundation stone for the Aula Leopoldina in Breslau . He also campaigned for the expansion of the cathedral library and hired a librarian who was responsible for cataloging the holdings and had to open the library to the public on certain days.

His last years were overshadowed by disputes with the canon and later Prince-Bishop Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch , who professed himself as a Freemason and spread his ideas.

Elias Daniel von Sommerfeld died on July 26, 1742 in Breslau. According to his wishes, his body was buried in the cathedral in the chapel of Karl Borromeo, whom he venerated .

literature

• Joseph Jungnitz : The auxiliary bishops of Breslau. Verlag von Franz Goerlich, Breslau 1914, pp. 200–222.

Web links

• Entry on Elias Daniel von Sommerfeld on catholic-hierarchy.org ; accessed on December 31, 2016.