Ignaz Anton Demeter

Archbishop Ignaz Anton Demeter

Ignaz Anton Demeter (born August 1, 1773 in Augsburg , † March 21, 1842 in Freiburg im Breisgau ) was Archbishop of Freiburg from 1836 to 1842 .

childhood

On August 1, 1773, the Augsburg master baker couple Johann Nepomuk Demeter and his wife Eleonore born. Bruggberger gave birth to a son whom they named Ignaz Anton. He was the firstborn of a total of twelve children. Of these, however, five died in the first few years of life. The father himself was born in Höchstädt an der Donau .

youth

Ignaz had already devoted himself to music in his youth . He played the violin , cello and also bassoon . He was active both as a musician and as a singer at the Cathedral Abbey Church in Augsburg. The friendship with Anton Böhm , also a church musician in Augsburg , fell into this period . While Demeter later left Augsburg, his friend Böhm founded a music publisher that still exists today. In later years, Böhm dedicated a mass published by his publishing house to his childhood friend Demeter.

Ignaz Anton Demeter attended the city school and the Jesuit college St. Salvator in Augsburg . In addition to his love of music, languages ​​came along, and here he won a school award. His perseverance and talent brought him to the Bartholomäerinstitut in Dillingen an der Donau in 1793 .

At this venerable school he also got to know the important theologian Johann Michael Sailer , who also taught Demeter. Sailer's “awakening movement” impressed the budding theologians not a little. This can be described as a kind of manifestation of pietism in the Catholic Church . It was also Sailer who discovered Demeter's tendency to education, to teach. Demeter's excellent study reports prove that this was his destiny.

The then Lautlingen local lord, Baron Klemens Wenzeslaus Schenk von Stauffenberg, from the Wilflinger lineage (born September 3, 1777 Dillingen; † July 2, 1833 Riississen; in hereditary imperial count since 1791), recognized the potential of the seminarist Demeter and awarded him the so-called Table title that today can be compared with a scholarship that was valid until the ordination. The Stauffenberg family was committed to the ideas of the Enlightenment, and JM Sailer wrote of his father, Baron Damian Anton, “the rule is rich, respected, pious and believing in me”. The sons and thus also the sponsor of the student Demeter, were raised by the court master Josef Mets, whom Sailer had recommended. Ignaz Demeter left the university after three years of study with good certificates and was ordained a priest on August 10, 1796. The first Mass he celebrated in his hometown of Augsburg.

First parish posts

In the following years he spent his time as an assistant priest in Ried, which belonged to the Stauffenberg rule of Jettingen . Christoph von Schmid and Martin Boos also worked in this area . They too were students of Sailer and supporters of his ideas. The time was not ripe for this, however, and especially in rural areas people harbored the greatest distrust of this movement. In response to a complaint from the dean of Jetting, Johann Michael Steiner, the Augsburg vicar general Nigg arranged for the suspected priests to be searched.

During the nightly action, the assistant priest Demeter was also found to have exchanged letters with Johannes Evangelista Goßner , who later gave the movement separatist traits and was both a year-old and compatriot Demeter. We owe to these letters the insight into Ignaz Demeter's soul life: a deeply religious person who finally broke away from Goßner's views and did not suspect any Evangelical-Protestant tendency either.

Patronage lord Klemens Schenk Reichsgraf von Stauffenberg presented Ignaz Anton Demeter on February 11, 1802 as pastor of the Lautlingen / Margrethausen parish . Here he succeeded Pastor Fidelis Lenz in March and was thus withdrawn from unjustified persecution in the diocese of Augsburg. His third sister, Maria Viktoria Josefa, came to Lautlingen with him to head his pastoral household. There was a lot to do in this small community, in 1812 there were 623 inhabitants, 598 of whom were considered to be local residents. The church choir had existed since at least the 1780s, but the school only existed as a winter school. In the summer months every hand was used for farm work. In addition to the very simple pastoral work, he taught the children in all subjects for seven years. He was able to try out his own teaching methods here and achieved such success that both younger and older teachers came to Lautlingen to find out more. Following his intentions, he set up a small teachers' seminar in the Lautlingen rectory, in which he explained his teaching methods to his fellow teachers and passed them on. This was the first private teacher training facility in the Kingdom of Württemberg . He also published educational works during this time, e.g. B. The work Hexen- und Gespenstergeschichten , published by Herderverlag in Freiburg in 1804 , which was later reprinted several times. This is where the quote comes from: "No clever man believes in witches and ghosts, you only come across something like that in crazy heads". In summary, it should be mentioned that Lautlingen was the first village school in the Kingdom of Württemberg, where lessons were given all year round.

Already at that time there was a "minor music society" in the place, which probably played more badly than right at weddings and other occasions, but whose history is still not comprehensible today. This could not be enough for the aspiring pastor. He knew the musical highlights of sacred music from his youth at Augsburg Cathedral and in Lautlingen he wanted to create at least a small image. The fact that there was fertile soil for this in the place is shown by the fact that the Catholic church choir already existed. There was also a theater company and so it happened that some musically gifted people tried to get lessons from the pastor, who was himself a musician. Its declared aim was to elevate church music. After numerous requests, he called a meeting of interested parties and presented them with a detailed contract, which is still stored in the Lautlingen parish archive today. As we will hear later, he was adamant about the "pleasure music" and in the contract he also stipulates that this music of the dissolute minstrels may not be practiced, among other things in order not to diminish the bread of the ordinary musicians. There can be no clearer sign that there were musicians in Lautlingen before that.

Demeter's aim was to increase education and thus to promote community life. Following his principle: “Better to start nothing than not do well and end up gloriously. Better nothing than begging music, ”he fought for his company, because the poverty in Lautlingen was great. Due to the costs of the revolutionary wars and the loss of livestock due to epidemics, as well as road construction and the construction and maintenance of public buildings, the bourgeois community had built up a mountain of debt of over 72,000  guilders . Pastor Demeter clarified the financing in the contract. The ownership of the instruments was also clarified. Half of them belonged to the church administration and half to the music society. He gave most of the necessary lessons himself, as he had a perfect command of the bassoon and cello. Foreign musicians gave the other hours for a fee. The fact that the trained musicians themselves had to provide for new students was farsighted and ensured that society was not a flash in the pan. Demeter wanted to ensure that the music in Lautlingen never dies and that a replacement is available in the event of illness or hindrance.

The rectory housekeeper and sister Maria Josepha Viktoria married the senior teacher Johann Pfister on March 18, 1805. The wedding took place in the collegiate church Hechingen, the place where the groom lived and worked. In October of the same year, Demeter's mother visited her pregnant daughter in Hechingen in Hohenzollern. On the way back, Demeter was there, the carriage crashed into the Eyach flood channel while Laufen, caused by the driver's carelessness. While Ignaz Demeter got away with the horror, Eleanor's mother drowned and was not found until the next day. He himself held the funeral in Lautlingen for his mother, whose death meant a great loss for Ignaz Demeter.

In the further course, Demeter also founded a village library in his parish in Lautlingen, he took care of arboriculture and gardening.

The rest of his career took place outside of Württemberg, which he left on January 5, 1809 when he left for Rastatt. He had already given the farewell sermon to the congregation for the New Year and one day before the final farewell he donated 50 guilders to mark the anniversary of October 15th, the day his mother died.

Director of the teachers' college and pastor in Rastatt

In Rastatt , after the advocacy and protection of Vicar General Ignaz Heinrich Freiherr von Wessenberg , he took over his new position as director of the teachers' seminar, as professor of education at the grammar school and school visitator for town and country. At the same time he was also the pastor and dean of Rastatt. This was the time when Ignaz Anton Demeter re-edited some of his educational publications or wrote new books and had them published. As a result of the turmoil of the war, only one copy from Demeter's time is left at Herder-Verlag in Freiburg. These publications became well known and were instrumental in training new school teachers.

Pastor of Sasbach

On October 29, 1818 Ignaz Demeter was transferred to the parish of Sasbach . He himself had asked for this transfer because of illness. Here he became definitor in 1819 and dean on December 31, 1831. There is still plenty of archive material from this period in Sasbach. Here, too, it was the promotion of schools and church music that moved Demeter. The fact that he promoted music was also approved by the Kinzig district directorate. Among other things, one writes from there: "... In our opinion, nothing should be neglected that can improve the rude morals of these parishioners ..."

In this context, a grant of 66 guilders was approved for the execution of "the noble purpose". Just three years later, the communities of Obersasbach, Sasbachwalden , Sasbach-Dorf and Sasbachried joined forces to show their first successes.

Demeter himself reports: “The young people sing new masses from scratch” and: “German church singing does not suffer from it at all, on the contrary, it is promoted by it. The German masses sung every Sunday sound purer and the German canons embellish German singing. "

Again and again there are reports of subsidies that also came from the other communities. In 1824 the pastor reported in a new application that “the cold and to a certain extent ungrateful community of Sasbachwalden” had refused to pay its quota.

In any case, there were a total of 18 musicians in 1827 in addition to the singers in the choir. This musical seed was to continue even after Demeter left the Freiburg Cathedral Chapter. But he also brought his nephew Adolf Pfister from Hechingen in Hohenzollern into his parish. He taught this himself at first and later took up theological studies in Strasbourg. In 1833 Pfister was ordained a priest by Auxiliary Bishop Vicari.

At the primacy on June 16, 1833, in Hechingen, his home town, his uncle Ignaz himself gave the sermon. The parents, senior teacher Johann Pfister with wife Viktoria and numerous other family members took part in the first party.

According to Ignaz Demeter's received letters about his longing for Lautlingen, it can be assumed that Demeter also visited his old place of work again during these days. However, no documents have been received. In the same year, the Lautlingen musicians Mattheis Eppler and Gabriel Oswald applied for a grant for the purchase of two horns. The chronicle reports nothing about the outcome of the matter.

As early as 1826 Demeter was appointed by the Baden Grand Duke Ludwig I as a ministerial advisor to the Catholic Church Section in the Ministry of the Interior in Karlsruhe . However, Demeter only held this vocation under the sign of special affection for the Grand Duke for one year in the state capital. Then he retired to the parish of Sasbach, which he was allowed to continue to look after during his service. When you consider that this position in particular would cause so many difficulties for him later on, an understandable action. The cordial relationship with the Grand Duke is also evidenced by numerous visits to the ruling house.

Throughout his entire time as pastor and dean in Sasbach, Demeter has repeatedly demonstrated his deep affection for his parishioners. He stood up for them, tried to keep the taxes at a bearable level and also to get rid of unjustified accusations. For his services, which he had earned in Strasbourg, he was also awarded the Commander's Cross of the French Legion of Honor by the Citizen King Louis Philippe.

Demeter's rectory in Sasbach was also known for the numerous visits by well-known and learned people. The boyfriend from a young age, Christoph von Schmid , also came by here almost every year on his way through. His destination was the spa town of Baden-Baden, but also a visit to his friend Demeter. Schmid, who was also active in the revival movement, became cathedral capitular in Augsburg in 1827, so he rose in the church hierarchy as did Ignaz Anton Demeter. But even as pastor of Sasbach, he was one of the most respected clergy in the Central Baden region.

In Freiburg

Ignaz Anton Demeter as cathedral capitular

It was the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Bernhard Boll , who appointed Demeter to the cathedral chapter in 1833 and thus initiated its relocation. Adolf Pfister, nephew of the new minster pastor , moved with his uncle and sponsor, he wanted to stay by his side. The first points of conflict were already evident here. The Baden Church Gazette criticized this kinship relationship in the sharpest and accused Demeter of "nepotism". In order not to embarrass his uncle further, Adolf Pfister moved back to his parents' homeland and finally became vicar in Steinhofen, now part of Bisingen .

As the minster pastor, Demeter created a new ritual in a very short time, in which he thoroughly cleaned up old, sweet and flower-rich texts. Not a trained liturgist himself, but rather an educator, in the broader sense musician and of course pastor with body and soul, at the age of 60 he created a completely new work within just one year. It is not surprising that part of the clergy rejected and even hindered its introduction.

Even as a metropolitan Demeter had to fight hard battles with these circles. If he warned against “egoism clericalis” here, then surely rightly.

When Archbishop Bernhard Boll died and a new shepherd was about to be elected, the cathedral chapter mainly had Hermann von Vicari in mind, among others, and Ignaz Demeter himself never wanted to run for office. Nevertheless, the circles around the Grand Duke of Baden and his state authorities had an impact on the chapter and the election had to be repeated several times before the state's preferred candidate Demeter was finally chosen.

His saying "It will be this hour that brings me closer to death" hits the mood of the new metropolitan of the Upper Rhine church province quite clearly. After the many interventions by non-ecclesiastical authorities, the election first had to be made by Pope Gregory XVI. to be "cured" of all defects. In any case, it can be said that it was not Demeter's ambition or the like that caused this choice, but the many interests of the state authorities, which definitely had reasons to prefer Ignaz Anton Demeter. The Grand Duchy with all its officials and dignitaries claimed an authority in Baden that corresponded to the “ state church ”, and Archbishop Bernhard Boll had to struggle with these problems.

After many quarrels, which were resolved by canon law, the new archbishop was consecrated and enthroned on January 29, 1839. He was ordained bishop by the bishop of Rottenburg, Johann Baptist von Keller . On the same day he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion by the Baden Grand Duke Leopold .

The problems during Demeter's tenure increased steadily due to tendencies that tried to increase state rights and curtail church rights. The archbishop could hardly defend himself against this, he knew about the power of the Grand Duchy. In addition, there was the reform movement of the “Schaffhauser Verein”, which originated from its own clergy and which Demeter wanted to cause massive damage. The hostilities within the cathedral chapter, coming from the unfortunate election, were also added. Nevertheless, Demeter was not the archbishop he is often referred to in history. He was not weak, he recognized the existing limits and did not wear them uselessly. Rather, he tried to achieve what was feasible for the greater glory of God. Perhaps it was also the fact that he was not a child of the country, but a Swabian in Baden, an aspect that certainly harbors difficulties. Today we can say that he was a far-sighted clergyman who also showed his sovereign prince the loyalty and respect that was necessary at the time. His office as archbishop brought him no comfort, but required the greatest concentration, mediation and careful consideration in order to solve the problems at hand. He conscientiously devoted himself to these tasks and earned posthumous neglect or negative story lines. Demeter has only been undergoing late rehabilitation since the 1970s, after perspectives also changed.

Among other things, there was also the problem of church concerts during his time as spiritual leader, which should be mentioned here as an example. Archbishop's archbishop Christoph Schmider describes this process with the title “Praise to God with the sound of horns” or “Abomination at a holy place”.

In summary, the following facts arise: In autumn 1834 the "Cäcilienverein am See" was founded in Meßkirch. In a letter to the Ordinariate, the Board of Directors emphasizes similar goals as those Demeter formulated on the occasion of the founding of the Lautlingen Music Society. “Noble joy in social art, suppression of bad songs that spoil youth, etc. Promotion of school and church singing ”. Normally such goals corresponded to Ignaz Demeter's inclination. However, it was problematic that this association wanted or held its concerts in the houses of God. The fact that the first concert in Meßkirch took place without consulting the ordinariate, although such events in church rooms were strictly forbidden, aroused displeasure in Freiburg. To make matters worse, those responsible, including clergy, allegedly knew nothing of this ban. The ordinariate reaffirmed the ban after exchanging correspondence. After further petitions, the state “Catholic Church Section” was questioned, which advocated approval subject to conditions. The Vicariate General, it was in charge of the diocese during the vacancy of the Sedis after the death of Archbishop Boll, but also refused the next approval requested, with an irrevocable decision. This was also due to the fact that a second association, the choral society from Gammertingen, applied for such a permit. The new Archbishop Demeter was also hostile to these church concerts. The reasoning was more than harsh and clear.

Among other things, the “speaker” writes: “In its holy idea, a Catholic Church does not only seem unsuitable for such secular song productions, but even dishonored and desecrated [...] A beautifully performed song by a human voice grips the heart of the listener so strongly that they cannot refrain from clapping, shouting applause, shouting bravo, bravissimo, da capo, and expressing their joy with hands and feet [...] The speaker praises such associations, is himself a member of such a singing association, only this association does not belong in the church. "

So, firstly, Demeter was afraid of a decline in morality, secondly, he had a different opinion about what kind of music belongs in the church (see here the founding contract of Lautlingen) and thirdly, he feared that these requests could sprout with an exception. His ordinariate followed him here and therefore the corresponding decision was made. The result was that the clubs no longer asked for approval, but only informed shortly before the event, so that a rejection would certainly come too late. The long mail routes met the club officials here. Archbishop Demeter was certainly rightly annoyed, but could not do anything about the lack of state penal power other than to appeal to the Ministry of the Interior. Demeter resigned in 1839 and even his ordinariate later had to realize that power was on the border here.

This exemplary example clearly shows that the church's powers were more than severely restricted by the state church constitution in place in Baden.

A few letters to Lautlingen and visits from his friend Fidel Eppler, Kastenknecht in Lautlingen and member of the music society, show how much he still felt connected to the village on the Alb, probably also because of his mother's grave in the village cemetery. Eppler’s encounter with the archbishop should also be mentioned here as an anecdote: “Eppler wanted to visit the archbishop in Freiburg. In the palace, however, they did not want to let the simple peasant out. Due to the unrest caused Ignaz Demeter was informed about the visit from Lautlingen. He hurried down the stairs and fell on his friend Fidel's neck, regardless of the observers who might just be present at this warm scene. "

About a year before his death, Demeter made his will. He made his sister Maria Kreszentia and his brother Josef Anton universal heirs. The brother himself was a pharmacist in Freiburg and his sister ran the household for him. One can guess that the presence of the siblings must have had a comforting effect many times. Among other things, Demeter set up a foundation that was to inherit two thirds of the cash assets after the death of the siblings. Its aim was to establish an institute for the Sisters of Charity in Baden. The realization should take place in Freiburg or Bruchsal. The well-meaning Grand Duke Ludwig von Baden, who was sympathetic to Demeter, approved the establishment of the Order of Sisters of Mercy, despite strong opposition. A wish that the founder himself did not see to be fulfilled.

Archbishop Ignaz Anton Demeter died on Monday, March 21st, 1842 at 4:30 p.m. after three months of severe sickness. As the second archbishop, he had presided over his diocese for five years and 52 days since its establishment. The burial took place on Maundy Thursday, March 24th at 2 p.m. His successor in office, Hermann von Vicari, buried him in the Freiburg Cathedral.

“In the year 1842, March 21st, at half past four in the evening, died there and was on the 24th of the Month afternoon 2 o'clock by the grace of Sr. Hermann von Vicari, Dr. of theology and both rights, Domdean, Bishop of Macra, Commander of the Zähringen Order of Lions with the accompaniment of all local and neighboring clergy and under the residence of Sr. Excellency the Grand Duke. Oberhofmarschall von Dubois de Gresse, as representative Sr. Königl. Highness of the Grand Duke of Baden - buried in the local cathedral church, Se. Your Excellency Mr. Ignaz Demeter, Dr. theology, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Freiburg, Grand Cross of the Grand Duke. Bath. Order of the Zähringer Lion and Commander of the French Legion of Honor - 68 years and 8 months old.

Witnesses are: the whole Venerable Archbishop Ordinariate.

Freiburg, March 24, 1842

Dr. Ludwig Buchegger

Pastor Rector. "

- Entry in the church book of the cathedral parish of Freiburg, 1842, page 467, no.32

The tomb, a simple, neo-Gothic high tombstone, was located in the Schnewlin Chapel of the Freiburg Minster. This shows on the one hand Demeter's modesty, but also the respect for the archbishop, who was little loved at the time. The tombstone was deliberately designed to be small and simple in contrast to those of its predecessors and successors.

Others

Demeter is the namesake of the Ignaz Demeter School (elementary and secondary school) in Albstadt-Lautlingen .

literature

• Ferdinand Löffler , Ignaz Anton Demeter, Pictures of Life from Bavarian Swabia, Weissenhorn 1977
• Karl-Heinz Braun , Hermann von Vicari and the archbishopric elections in Baden, Freiburg
• Erwin Gatz (ed.): The bishops of the German-speaking countries 1785/1803 to 1945. A biographical lexicon. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-428-05447-4 .
• Erwin Keller: Johann Leonhard Hug . Contributions to his biography . In: Freiburg Diocesan Archive Volume 93, Freiburg pp. 5–233 ( digitized version )
• Heinrich Maas, history of the cath. Church in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Freiburg 1891
• Christoph Schmider: “Praise to God with the sound of a horn” or “Abomination in a holy place”? Studies of the practice of church music in the Archdiocese of Freiburg in the period between the establishment of the diocese and the establishment of the Diocesan Cäcilien Association (1821/27 - 1878) , Freiburg i. Br. 1994
• Christoph Schmider: Archbishop Dr. Ignaz Demeter , 1997
• Christoph Schmider: The Freiburg bishops: 175 years of the Archdiocese of Freiburg. A story in pictures of life . Freiburg i. Br .: Herder Verlag, 2002. ISBN 3-451-27847-2 .
• Hubert Bastgen, The process of the election of the Archbishop of Freiburg in 1836, Freiburg 1928
• Hubert Schiel, Ignaz Demeter and the Awakening Movement in the Diocese of Augsburg, Freiburg 1930
• Festschrift 175 years of the Frohsinn music band, Lautlingen 1978
• Heiko Peter Melle, Festschrift 200 Years of the Frohsinn Music Band, Lautlingen 2003
• Schnell Art Guide 916, Sasbach near Achern - St. Brigitta Parish Church, Regensburg 1969
• Adolf Hirth, Das Saschwaller Buch, 1997
• Ernst Döbele, History of the Sasbach Parish, 1950
• Friedrich von Weech:  Demeter, Ignaz . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 46.
• Wolfgang Müller:  Demeter, Ignaz Anton. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 3, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1957, ISBN 3-428-00184-2 , p. 591 ( digitized version ).
• Johannes Kreuzenbeck:  DEMETER, Ignaz Anton. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 17, Bautz, Herzberg 2000, ISBN 3-88309-080-8 , Sp. 341-343.

Other sources

• Ortschronik Lautlingen daily reports from 1800, Volume I
• Parish chronicle Lautlingen
• Parish archive Lautlingen
• Mr. Jens Florian Ebert with various references

Remarks

1. ↑ 1 Gulden (fl. = Florin) corresponds to 60 Kreuzers and these 480 Hellern. The minimum cost of daily living was around 1800 around 12-15 cruisers. On this basis and with some reservations, we can assign the guilder a monetary value of just under € 50 today.
2. ^ Fidel Eppler * February 23, 1777, H February 11, 1806 with Verena Stumpp (folio 601), s February 17 ??
3. ^ Ignaz Demeter School

Web links

Commons : Ignaz Anton Demeter  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Entry on Ignaz Anton Demeter on catholic-hierarchy.org
• Heiko Peter Melle: Ignaz Anton Demeter

predecessor	Office	successor
Bernhard Boll	Archbishop of Freiburg 1836 - 1842	Hermann of Vicari