Friedrich Schneider (clergyman)

Friedrich Schneider

Friedrich Schneider (born August 7, 1836 in Mainz ; † September 21, 1907 there ) was a clergyman and art scholar .

Life

Schneider was born in 1836 as the eldest son of the businessman Johann Adam Schneider and his wife Therese, b. Scheublein, born. He broke off a commercial apprenticeship in order to devote himself to the clergy. In 1859 he was ordained a priest and in 1861 appointed to teach liturgy and the history of Christian art in the Mainz seminary . In 1869 he was elected to the Cathedral Dates , in 1888 to the ecclesiastical council and in 1891 to the cathedral chapter . In 1894 he was appointed papal house prelate and in 1906 apostolic protonotary . In 1884 he was awarded a Dr. theol. PhD ; From 1862–67 he worked as a diocesan president for the journeyman's associations, and in 1866 and 1870 in pastoral care for the war wounded. He died in Mainz in 1907.

Bookplate Fridericus Schneider

Act

In addition to his spiritual obligations, Schneider devoted himself intensively to art history and monument preservation with a focus on Mainz. In around 300 publications, he commented on the building history and restoration of the Mainz Cathedral , the Electoral Palace in Mainz, the Cathedral in Worms , the Katharinenkirche in Oppenheim , the Minster in Freiburg , as well as the preservation of numerous monuments and rediscovered art objects. His monograph, “Der Dom zu Mainz - History and description of the building and its restoration”, which was published in 1886 and represents a first comprehensive inventory of the building, based on the findings of which the majority of other publications on the Cathedral are based.

Schneider turned against the advocates of the predominance of Gothic in sacred buildings and took a stand for the Renaissance and Baroque. He also gave impetus to the construction of the Bonifatius Church in Mainz. His reformist, liberal ideas often met with resistance from conservative forces in spiritual and cultural circles.

Together with the English John Sutton, 3rd Baronet , he campaigned for the founding of the Kiedricher Choir Foundation and the associated reprint of a Mainz gradual from the 18th century, an important printing enterprise. Schneider's tireless commitment to the art of printing owed the printing works to his hometown ( Wallau , Joh. Falk Söhne, Philipp von Zabern ) for suggestions and orders. For the graphic design of books, but also for commercial graphics, he recommended the Mainz-born graphic artist and etcher Peter Halm .

With Sutton he toured Belgium, the Netherlands and France, where he met the Abbot of Solesmes, Dom Prosper Guéranger . He strove for a liturgical renewal and published L'Année Liturgique , whose translation into German Schneider played a decisive role. In 1882 he went on a three-month trip to Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Sicily.

Among the many who asked Schneider for advice and help in artistic matters was the Prussian crown prince couple, who later became Emperor Friedrich III. and his wife Viktoria , who built her widow's residence in Kronberg after 1888 and kept in touch with Schneider. The Berlin court also sought advice from him in 1893 about an anniversary present for Pope Leo XIII and awarded him the Order of the Red Eagle in gratitude for his mediation work .

He did not intervene actively in the culture war of the late 19th century, but expressed his commitment in letters on the position of Catholics in German science and on the training of theologians.

On his 70th birthday, Schneider received a festschrift in which artists, scholars and print specialists honored him with contributions from all areas of cultural life of his time. Here you can also find a directory of all publications by the jubilee that have appeared so far.

His correspondence, comprising around 30,000 letters, has not yet been fully processed. There is no monograph on him.

Appreciation

On the 100th anniversary of his death, the Martinus Library in Mainz organized an exhibition of Friedrich Schneider, a Mainz cultural prelate, from September 21, 2007 to January 25, 2008. The lectures accompanying the exhibition have been published in an anthology.

Publications (selection)

• The Katharinenkirche zu Oppenheim and its monuments r, Mainz 1877
• Medieval religious buildings in Mainz , Mainz 1879
• The St. Pauluskirche in Worms, its construction and its history , ceremony for the opening of the Paulus Museum on October 9, 1881
• Mainz Cathedral, history and description of the building and its restoration. Berlin 1886
• Mainz and its printers. In: Memorial sheets for the Gutenberg celebration 1887, Mainz 1887
• Gothic and art. Letter to a friend. Mainz 1888
• Memorandum for the construction of the former electoral palace in Mainz , written on behalf of the municipal administration, Mainz 1897
• Memories of Altmainz , 1898
• Peter Halm and his print decorations , Mainz approx. 1900, see also digitized version . Retrieved November 20, 2019 . 
• Matthias Grünewald and mysticism , Mainz 1904
• The drinking bowl of St. Lutwinus zu Mettlach , Mainz 1905, see also digital copy. Retrieved November 20, 2019 . 
• Wennemar von Bodelschwingh (1558-1605). Life, house and belongings. A Mainz canon of the archaeological era. Freiburg 1907
• Art history studies. Collected essays by Friedrich Schneider. First volume: Kurmainzer Kunst , ed. by Erwin Hensler, Wiesbaden 1913
• Orientreise. After the transcription by Gabriele Lambert edited by Helmut Hinkel, Mainz, Verlag Philipp von Zabern 2008. 172 pages with 75 drawings by Friedrich Schneider, 20 historical photographs and a map.

literature

• Studies in art and history. Dedicated to Friedrich Schneider on the occasion of his seventieth birthday by his friends and admirers. Freiburg 1906 ( archive.org ).
• Anonymous: To the Most Revered Monsignor Dr. Friedrich Schneider ... on the completion of his 70th year of life August 7, 1906. In: Mainzer Journal, August 6, 1906
• Rudolf Busch : To Prelate Dr. Friedrich Schneider's 25th anniversary of his death September 21, 1932. In: Mainzer Journal of September 20, 1932
• Conrad Booß: Prelate Dr. Friedrich Schneider as a priest. In: Mainzer Journal of September 20, 1932
• Conrad Booß: Prelate Dr. Friedrich Schneider and the liturgical movement. On the 25th anniversary of his death on September 21, 1907. In: Der Katholik, September 18, 1932
• Fritz Arens : Prelate Dr. Friedrich Schneider, An overview of his life, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his death on September 21, 1932 , compiled from the obituaries of Franz Rieffel, Kissling and Julius Baum. In: Der Katholik, No. 39
• Anton Philipp Brück : Friedrich Schneider (1836–1907 ). A contribution to the German intellectual history of the 19th century. In: Archive for Middle Rhine Church History , Volume 9, 1957, pages 166–192
• Anton Philipp Brück: Prelate Schneider and the Mainz Monument Preservation . In: Kleine Mainzer Bücherei, Volume XV, 1981, pages 77-85; ISBN 3-87439-077-2
• Helmut Hinkel (Ed.): Friedrich Schneider. A Mainz cultural prelate. 1836-1907 . With contributions by Claus Arnold , Hermann-Josef Braun, Joachim Glatz, Mathilde Grünewald, Helmut Hinkel, Hans-Jürgen Kotzur , Gabriele Lambert, Hermann-Josef Reudenbach, Winfried Wilhelmy (= New Yearbook for the Diocese of Mainz. Contributions to contemporary and cultural history of the Diocese. 2008, edited by Barbara Nonweiß), Publications Diocese of Mainz 2008. 24o pages with 119 illustrations
• Claus Arnold : Prelate Friedrich Schneider. Preservation of art and monuments in the context of church politics. In: Wolfgang Dobras (Ed.): A journey through time in 175 stories. The Mainzer Altertumsverein 1844–2019 (= Mainzer Zeitschrift . 114). Nünnerich-Asmus, Oppenheim am Rhein 2019, p. 88 f.

Web link

• Literature by and about Friedrich Schneider in the catalog of the German National Library
• Works by and about Friedrich Schneider  in the German Digital Library