Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich to the canal
Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (born August 16, 1625 in Düsseldorf , † May 21, 1704 at Neuhaus Castle near Paderborn ) was Prince-Bishop of Paderborn . Due to his long reign, his ecclesiastical and educational orientation and his concentration on his office as Paderborn sovereign, he is considered important for the regional history of the bishopric .
origin
Hermann Werner came from the family of Barons Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht . His father, Johann Adolf Wolff Metternich zur Gracht, was the secret councilor and confidante of Duke Wolfgang Wilhelm von Jülich-Berg , the Cologne elector Ferdinand of Bavaria and secret councilor to the Bavarian electors Maximilian and Ferdinand Maria . In 1637 the emperor raised him to the status of imperial baron. Hermann Werner's mother was Maria Katharina von Hall, who gave birth to a total of 16 children. One of the brothers was Johann Wilhelm Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht (1624–1694), cathedral dean in Mainz , cathedral provost in Mainz , Paderborn and Münster , a sister Anna Adriana Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht (1621–1698), abbess of St. Maria im Capitol , Cologne .
Life
His father appointed Hermann Werner, born as the seventh child, as well as five of his brothers, for the clerical status. He received the tonsure at the age of five . He received his training from the Jesuits in Münstereifel . Numerous stays abroad followed. Hermann Werner devoted himself mainly to theology during his long training period . On February 26, 1650 he received the minor ordinations , and on March 6, 1650, the subdiaconate ordination. On April 9, 1667, the Paderborn cathedral chapter elected him cathedral dean. In 1677 he was ordained a deacon , and in 1678 he was ordained a priest . In addition to the Paderborn office, he also held the office of provost in the duchy of Hildesheim .
In 1687 he donated 400 Reichstaler for two new bells for the new construction of the parish church of St. Alban in Liblar, which was mainly financed by the Barons Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht . He also donated two high-quality paintings by the artist Johann Georg Rudolphi to the church .
After the death of Ferdinand II. Von Furstenberg , who in personal union had held the office of Prince Bishop of Munster, the Paderborn chose Domkapitel his Domdechanten Hermann Werner Wolff-Metternich to the canal as the new archbishop. It was probably his openness to the priesthood that made him choose the cathedral chapter on September 15, 1683. He was ordained bishop on September 10, 1684 by Friedrich von Tietzen-Schlütter , auxiliary bishop in Hildesheim and later apostolic vicar of the north . On September 25, 1684 he became Prince-Bishop of Paderborn. The basic clerical orientation affected his activities as the new Paderborn sovereign . In addition to extensive visitations in the parishes, he initiated a new church order in 1687 and a new agenda in 1687 with the help of the diocesan synods in the High Cathedral in Paderborn . In 1699 he published the first liturgical register of Paderborn's own masses , the Proprium Paderbornense . In the field of education he promoted the Jesuits and the Paderborn State University . He also promoted female education. He had St. Michael's monastery and church built for the Augustinian women choirs , who had been working in the state capital for some time with a daughter's school and a free school .
As sovereign he tried to improve legal certainty in 1691/95 by publishing a publication on the judiciary. In 1695/97 he put a new tithe and court order into force.
His penchant for nepotism was viewed critically . His nephew Wilhelm Hermann Ignatz Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht became treasurer in the cathedral chapter and provost at the Busdorfstift . He appointed another nephew, Hieronymus Leopold Edmund von Wolff-Metternich zu Wehrden, to be the secret councilor and head stable master. A third nephew, Franz Arnold Josef von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht , was chosen as his successor a year before Hermann Werner's death.
In the years 1696–99 he had a 16th century Landdrostenhaus in Wehrden (Weser) converted by Ambrosius von Oelde into a representative palace complex. Even during the construction work he lived in a tower of the complex, in which he had a chapel built in honor of St. Anthony. The poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff , who is distantly related to him , later wrote her ballad "Der Fundator", which depicts his work in Wehrden, in this tower.
On May 21, 1704, the almost 80-year-old prince-bishop died in his Neuhaus residence . His nephew and successor laid the body in the Elisabeth Chapel in Paderborn Cathedral under an elaborate marble grave monument.
The historian Johann Conrad Pyrach wrote about him in the 18th century:
“ He was an unpunished prince, an angel incarnate, a star of the Church, the love of subjects and father of the fatherland. "
literature
- Hans Jürgen Brandt: The bishops and archbishops of Paderborn. Paderborn 1984, pp. 258-262.
Web links
- Hermann-Werner and the history of Wehrden Castle
- Entry on Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich on the canal on catholic-hierarchy.org ; Retrieved July 26, 2016.
Individual evidence
- ^ Archive Schloss Gracht file no.562
- ^ Archives Schloss Gracht files No. 561, No. 562, No. 563 (Johann Adolf's writing calendar)
- ↑ Hanna Stommel: Short biography of the father (PDF document)
- ^ Archive Schloss Gracht file no. 562 and archive of the Bad Münstereifel municipal high school
- ↑ Archive Schloss Gracht file no.87 (Liblar Church)
- ^ Anton Ochsenfarth: Johann Georg Rudolphi, 1663-1693 . Paderborn, 1979 (pp. 26-29)
- ↑ (digital scan to quote)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand II von Fürstenberg |
Bishop of Paderborn 1683–1704 |
Franz Arnold von Wolff-Metternich to the canal |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht, Hermann Werner von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prince-Bishop of Paderborn |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 16, 1625 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dusseldorf |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 21, 1704 |
| Place of death | Neuhaus Castle near Paderborn |