Joseph Markl

Joseph Markl (born January 8, 1752 in Vienna as Joseph Johann Markl; † December 5, 1811 in Graz ) was an Austrian Cistercian and from 1804 to 1811 the 55th abbot of Lilienfeld Abbey . Under him the abbey fire occurred in 1810, which destroyed large parts of the abbey.

Before the election of the abbot

Origin and education

Josef Johann Markl was born on January 8, 1752 as the son of Jakob and Maria Anna Markl in Vienna. He later attended high school in Melk and entered the Cistercian Abbey of Lilienfeld in 1769, where he made his profession on November 15, 1770.

After studying theology at the Lilienfeld private school, he was ordained a priest in 1775 and then worked as a parish vicar in the parishes of Lilienfeld, Eschenau and Türnitz. From 1782 to 1783 he held the function of secretary and ceremonial in the monastery.

Prior and Pastor

In 1786 he was elected prior and spiritual administrator of the monastery and appointed parish vicar of Lilienfeld. The appointment as spiritual administrator had become necessary because Abbot Dominik Peckenstorfer was deprived of official duties. The economic goods were administered by court accounting official Ignaz Castelli as temporal administrator . Both areas were later taken over by Commendatar Abbot Maximilian Stadler .

He kept his position as parish vicar in Lilienfeld even during the period of the abolition of the monastery from 1789 to 1790 and worked with his fellow brothers and residents of Lilienfeld to re-establish the monastery. During his time as pastor from 1789 to 1790, Father Joseph Markl lived in the so-called "Schlössl", the oldest part of the Lilienfeld Abbey. On April 19, 1790, Emperor Leopold II gave in to the request and rebuilt Lilienfeld Monastery on April 27, 1790.

From 1790 Markl was pastor of Wilhelmsburg and at the same time dean of the Deanery Lilienfeld.

Office administrator and administrator

Because of irregularities in the economic management of the monastery, he urged Abbot Ignaz II. Schwingenschlögl to elect an administrator, which fell to him on December 19, 1799. The authorities confirmed this order on October 15, 1800.

From 1801 he had to act as administrator of the monastery, because Abbot Ignaz had been banished to Altenburg monastery because of allegations of his administration as administrator of Kleinmariazell .

Abbot of the Lilienfeld Monastery

After his resignation by Abbot Ignaz on April 20, 1805, Administrator Joseph Markl was made abbot on July 10, 1804 by public acclamation of the convent and confirmed in this office on July 19, 1804 by the emperor. Markl's installation took place on October 3, 1804, the benediction on October 12, 1804.

Abbot Josef Markl's term of office was characterized by the need for restrictive economic management and numerous accidents: looting by French troops in 1805 and 1809, fire in the castle in Unterdürnbach in 1808, all of the sparse silver implements handed over in 1809.

The greatest catastrophe, however, was the monastery fire in 1810. This broke out from still unexplained circumstances and raged across almost the entire monastery. Only the library and church were spared.

Emperor Franz I therefore offered the convent to move into the abolished Cistercian monastery Säusenstein and to keep Lilienfeld. However, this was rejected by the community and the reconstruction of Lilienfeld began.

Abbot Josef died on December 5, 1811 at the age of 60 in Graz, where he was staying for medical treatment. He was also buried in Graz, in the St. Johann parish.

On July 8, 1812, the prior, Father Ladislaus Pyrker, was elected as his successor.

swell

• Becziczka, Ambros: Historical and topographical representation of Lilienfeld and its surroundings, (historical and topographical representation of the parishes, monasteries, monasteries, charitable foundations and monuments in Archduke Austria 6), Vienna 1825.
• Hauptmann, Othmar: Lilienfeld Abbey: A guide through its sights, Lilienfeld 1928.
• Maurer, Pius: The history of the Lilienfeld monastery, In: Campililiensia. History, art and culture of the Cistercian monastery Lilienfeld, Lilienfeld 2015, p. 25f.
• Müller, Eugen: Historical outline of the Lilienfeld monastery since 1700: With special consideration of external influences on life in the convent, Lilienfeld 1979, pp. 48–96.
• Müller, Eugen: Profession book of the Cistercian monastery Lilienfeld, (studies and communications on the history of the Benedictine order and its branches 38), special edition, St. Ottilien 1996.
• Mussbacher, Norbert, Lilienfeld Abbey, Vienna 1976.