Julie von Buddenbrock the Elder J.

Julie Freiin von Buddenbrock the Elder J. (born January 11, 1826 in Berlin ; † January 11, 1915 ibid) was a wealthy Prussian aristocrat who, with her involvement in the Inner Mission and the Outer Mission, significantly influenced the life of the Protestant Church in Berlin at the turn of the century. In addition, she made a name for herself as an artist.

family

Julie von Buddenbrock the Elder J. was the second of four children of Baron Wilhelm Alfred Alexander von Buddenbrock (* July 23, 1796 - † September 20, 1863) and his wife Baroness Julie Freifrau von Buddenbrock, born. Tölpe Baroness of Limburger (* May 20, 1795 - † August 23, 1872). The father served in the Prussian military up to the rank of lieutenant colonel, then worked in the financial world of the imperial capital and belonged to the Prussian manor house. At his death in 1863 he left his family a considerable fortune, which first enabled his widow and later his daughter Julie to generously support charitable works of the Inner and Outer Mission. From 1859 until her death in 1872, Baroness von Buddenbrock was a member of the board of directors of the Evangelical Magdalenenstift and a member of the board of trustees of the Bethesda infirmary in Berlin.

Commitment to the Inner and Outer Mission

Shaped by the piety of the awakening movement and in particular by its representatives Gustav Knak (1806–1878) and Johannes Evangelista Goßner (1773–1858), Julie von Buddenbrock developed an understanding of Christian faith as a means of salvation not only in view of the social problems of the city of Berlin, but also on the mission field overseas. She founded the Dreifaltigkeitsgemeinde's charity for the poor, joined the board of trustees of the Elisabeth Deaconess and Hospital founded by Goßner in 1871, followed her mother on the board of the Bethesda infirmary and also on the board of trustees of the Magdalenenstift, a reception center for women at risk in Berlin . Together with other noble women of society, she formed a network of voluntary, charitable commitments in internal and external missions.

Gustav Knak won Julie von Buddenbrock the Elder. J. 1857 for the board of directors of the Berlin Women's Mission Association for China. She served him for 58 years, including 28 years as chairwoman. The main focus of the association's work was the establishment and maintenance of the Bethesda Foundling House in Hong Kong, an orphanage for Chinese girls. v. Buddenbrock took over sponsorships for some orphans and supported the foundling house with donations of money and goods. In her board work she accompanied the admission of the association to the Berliner Missionsgesellschaft in 1882. As chairwoman of the organization then renamed "Berliner Frauen-Missionsverein für China" (Berlin Women's Mission Society for China), from 1887 she also had a seat and a voice on the venerable board of the Berlin Mission Society in Georgenkirchstrasse.

In 1859 Julie von Buddenbrock the Elder joined J. also joins the board of the "Association for the Education of Women in the Orient" in Berlin. This association trained female candidates for missionary service. At the age of 73 she took over the chairmanship of the women's association in 1899.

The artist

Julie von Buddenbrock was a student of the artist Carl Gottfried Pfannschmidt (* 1819 - † 1887), who made a name for himself as a church painter, professor, member of the Royal Academy of Arts and an honorary doctorate in theology. v. Buddenbrock turned mainly to flower painting and ornamentation and made and donated altar paintings for several Berlin churches. Many of her works have been printed and published; including “Jehovah Flowers” ​​(1867), “The Faith of the Fathers in the Sacred Ornamentation of Songs” (1881), a collection of colored bookmarks based on watercolors (1877) or “Soli Deo Gloria” (1879). In addition, she used her fortune to support artists in need.

Awards

Julie von Buddenbrock the Elder was honored for her services to religious life in the field of Inner and Outer Mission, for her financial support of charitable endeavors and her artistic work. In 1901 he was awarded the second class order of Luisen , the highest Prussian women's order “for women and virgins”, by Kaiser Wilhelm II .

literature

• Karzek, Thomas: Julie von Buddenbrock 1826 - 1915. Biographical sketches. Berlin: 2010. Wichern-Verlag GmbH. ISBN 978-3-88981-372-5