Josip Juraj Strossmayer

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JJ Strossmayer, lithograph by Josef Kriehuber , 1850

Josip Juraj Strossmayer (also Joseph Georg Strossmayer and Josip Juraj Štrosmajer ) (born February 4, 1815 in Osijek , † April 8, 1905 in Đakovo ) was a bishop and Catholic theologian as well as an influential Croatian politician in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy .

Life

His father's family came from Austria , his mother's from Slavonia .

He attended high school in Osijek and then studied theology in Đakovo and philosophy in Budapest , where he was enthusiastic about the ideals of Illyrism . In 1834 Strossmayer received his doctorate in philosophy, and in 1838 he was ordained a priest . Between 1838 and 1840 he was vicar in Petrovaradin (Petrovaradin). As early as 1838, with the consent of his bishop, he had applied for admission to the higher educational institute for secular clergy St. Augustine in Vienna , which was also called the Frintaneum or Augustineum . The Frintaneum offered its own professional and spiritual training program, which was intended to prepare the college members for their future service as well as for the four so-called rigorous examinations (rigors) for acquiring the theological doctorate at the university. In 1840 Strossmayer was admitted to the Frintaneum and completed all four rigorous exams in two years, after which the University of Vienna earned him a doctorate in theology in 1842 . During his time in Vienna, Strossmayer made numerous contacts that accompanied him throughout his life. After returning home, Strossmayer was employed as a lecturer and in the direction of the seminary in Đakovo. In 1846, after paying the substantial admission fee, he joined the Vienna Faculty of Theology as a member. In 1847 he applied for a theological professorship at the University of Pest as well as for the vacant position of chaplain of the court and castle parish at the Vienna Hofburg , to which the service as director of studies for church history and church law in the Frintaneum was linked. At the University of Vienna he taught canon law on a temporary basis. His service at the Burgpfarre and at the Frintaneum made him known to the relevant circles in Vienna and created a good starting point for a further church career.

Strossmayer monument in Đakovo

In 1849, Emperor Franz Joseph appointed him bishop of Đakovo on the proposal of Ban Joseph Jelačić von Bužim , and in 1850 Pope Pius IX confirmed him. In 1851 he became apostolic administrator for Serbia . In 1857 he established a seminary in Đakovo, where he also founded a teacher training college. With his help and financial support, the Đakovo Cathedral was built. In 1859 he supported the renovation of the Institute of St. Jerome in Rome .

From 1860 he took part in the imperial council, where he advocated the monarchist federation. Strossmayer was leader of the Croatian People's Party in the Hungarian state parliament from 1860 to 1873 and was a member of the Croatian Sabor in 1861, 1865 and 1866 . From 1861 to 1863 he was also a major duo of Virovitica . In 1866 Strossmayer was chairman of the Croatian royal committee. He campaigned for a revision of the Croatian-Hungarian balance . When he did not succeed in this, Strossmayer withdrew from political life in 1873 and from the public in the mid-1890s. Nevertheless, he continued to exert influence on political events through personal contacts and his reputation.

Already during his studies he came into contact with the ideas of Slavic nationalism and the Croatian Illyrism movement, which had decisively shaped his vision of "Yugoslavism", the unification of all southern Slavs. Politically, Strossmayer was a champion for the upgrading of the Slavic peoples in the Danube Monarchy and for a union of all South Slavic peoples (Illyrism) under Habsburg leadership. For this reason, on the part of the church, he advocated a rapprochement between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church and strove for a uniform Slavic liturgy for Croats and Serbs . The model for him as a Catholic was, among other things, the Old Slavic rite cultivated in Dalmatia . Strossmayer was also committed to the union with the Russian Orthodox Church as the leading church of the Slavic Orthodox Churches, without any ecclesiastical prerequisites for this at the time. At the First Vatican Council in Rome , he protested against the newly introduced dogma of papal infallibility , as it represented an obstacle to the union talks with the Orthodox. His speech sparked a storm of indignation; his episcopal confreres insulted him in heckling as a Protestant and a traitor. His speech also caused a sensation outside of the council hall; it immediately appeared in print and has been translated into several languages.

Since the diocese of Strossmayers was very large and brought rich income, this enabled him to carry out numerous foundations and new churches and schools. His role was particularly significant in founding the South Slav Academy of Sciences and Arts (1866) and providing financial support for the establishment of the University of Zagreb (1874) in collaboration with his close friend Franjo Rački . In 1884 he left his art collection to the Academy, financially supported the grammar schools in Osijek , Rijeka , Varaždin , Vinkovci and Senj , founded libraries, supported the acquisition of archival material and publishing projects as well as various cultural and historical societies, but also sponsored gifted individuals. In this way he became one of the most important patrons and patrons of the Croatians.

criticism

In addition to his liberal and humanist views, anti-Semitic views also emerged. In personal correspondence with Franjo Rački and Serafino Vannutelli there were anti-Semitic statements. He described Jews as "bitter enemies" who wanted to "Judaize" Croatia, and as "lice". Because of his protests and public agitation, a Jewish teacher was removed from school in 1877. In 1884 Strossmayer prevented the introduction of Judeo-Christian marriage in Croatia. When Strossmayer was reprimanded by the Pope and Emperor as a result of a telegram that he sent to the rector of St. Vladimir University in 1888 on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the Christianization of Russia, he accused Jews of being the masterminds behind the criticism and protest to be him.

Fonts

  • Speak against the infallibility of the Pope . Edited by José Augustín de Escudero. v. Nubling, Ulm 1869 ( digitized version ) of the Bavarian State Library.
    • Second edition: Schmithals, Wesel 1872 ( online ).
    • Translation into Croatian: Govor o nepogrješivosti pape na crkvenom saboru u Rimu (speech on the infallibility of the Pope, at the Council in Rome). Vukovar 1872.
  • Saints Cyril and Method , Pastoral Letter , Vienna 1881.
  • Korespondencija Rački-Strossmayer . Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, Zagreb 1928–1931 (4 volumes).

Honors

Strossmayer monument in Zagreb by Ivan Meštrović

Numerous buildings, streets and squares were named after Josip Juraj Strossmayer; several monuments were erected in his honor. A museum for Strossmayer was opened in Đakovo in 1991. Both the Yugoslav and Croatian states honored Strossmayer several times with special postage stamps.

These include:

such as

  • a street in the historic center of Dubrovnik
  • a street in Sarajevo
  • in Zagreb a square ( Trg JJ Strossmayera ) and a promenade ( Strossmayerovo šetalište )
  • the Strossmayer Square ( Strossmayerovo náměstí ) in Prague - Holešovice , named after him in 1925.
  • Strossmayerstrasse (Strossmayerova ulica) in Osijek , the longest street in the Upper City (formerly Hauptstrasse, later Lange Gasse).

literature

  • Wolfgang Benz : Handbook of anti-Semitism : hostility to Jews in past and present. Vol. 2. Persons L-Z . De Gruyter Saur, Berlin / New York 2009, ISBN 978-3-598-24072-0 , pp. 808 f .
  • Constantin von Wurzbach : Stroßmayer, Joseph Georg . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 40th part. Imperial-Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1880, pp. 88–96 ( digitized version ).
  • Martin Zöller (1965): Will and Work of the Croatian Bishop Josip Juraj Stroßmeyer (1815–1905). Contributions on political, cultural and ecclesiastical religious endeavors from the point of view of the national and religious unity of the South Slav peoples. Berlin, Humboldt-U., Phil. F., Diss. V. March 31, 1965 (Not for Aust.). Berlin.
  • Martin Zöller (1968): Beginning of Relations between Josip Juraj Strossmeyer and Russia. In: Scientific journal of the Humboldt University of Berlin 17 (2), pp. 235–242.
  • Klemens Löffler: Joseph Georg Strossmayer . In: The Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 14: Robert Appleton Company, New York 1912.

Web links

Commons : Josip Juraj Strossmayer  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Wolfgang Benz: Handbook of Antisemitism: Anti-Semitism in Past and Present. Vol. 2: Persons L - Z . De Gruyter Saur, Berlin / New York 2009, ISBN 978-3-598-24072-0 , pp. 808 f .
  2. ^ August Bernhard Hasler : How the Pope became infallible. Power and impotence of dogma . Ullstein, Frankfurt am Main and Berlin 1981, ISBN 3-548-34053-9 , pp. 50-51.
personal data
SURNAME Strossmayer, Josip Juraj
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Politician in what was then Austria-Hungary and Catholic theologian
DATE OF BIRTH February 4, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH Osijek
DATE OF DEATH April 8, 1905
Place of death Đakovo