Martin Medek from Müglitz

Coat of arms of Martin Medek von Müglitz as Archbishop of Prague

Martin Medek von Müglitz (also: Martin Medek ; Czech Martin Medek z Mohelnice ; * 1538 in Müglitz ; † February 2, 1590 in Prague ) was Archbishop of Prague .

Career

After studying theology at the Jesuit college in Olomouc , Martin Medek was ordained a priest . After that he was briefly court chaplain to Archbishop Anton Brus von Müglitz of Prague and later became dean of the chapter of St. Peter in Brno . After joining the Order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star , he worked as pastor of the parishes in Hödnitz , Freiberg and probably also in Müglitz. In 1577 he became provost of the Kreuzherrenstift Pöltenberg near Znaim and, although this office was reserved for the Archbishop of Prague, in 1577 Grand Master of his order.

Archbishop of Prague

After the death of the Prague Archbishop Anton Brus von Müglitz, Emperor Rudolf II nominated Martin Medek as his successor on January 15, 1581. The papal confirmation of April 17th d. J. followed on October 8th. J. the episcopal ordination by Archbishop Georg Dražkovič of Kolocsa . For the future, the Emperor forbade the Order of the Cross to elect its own Grand Master, as this and the office of Archbishop of Prague were linked for economic reasons.

As early as the year he took office, Martin Medek undertook visitations to the royal lords and organized clergy meetings with which he wanted to influence the way of life and the discipline of the priests. Because of the shortage of priests, Jesuit colleges were founded in Krumau , Wittingau and Komotau and the Carmelite monastery in Tachau was populated with monks from Bavaria. However, the emperor did not allow him to set up his own seminary. 1581, the imputed Utraquist Consistory of the jurisdiction of the archbishop, with whose support it the spread of the Lutherans and Czech Brethren wanted to prevent. For his part, the archbishop tried to prevent the spread of all non-Catholics and refused the ordination of Utraquist priests, but tolerated communion . When he had the ban bull Sixtus V printed and distributed against heretics in 1586 , he was reprimanded by the emperor and urged to obtain the imperial approval for prints and notices in future.

Martin Medek was educated and spoke five languages. He was on good terms with the nuncio and participated in his plan for recatholization, which was presented to the emperor in 1584. At his instigation, in 1588 the bones of the Bohemian patron saint Prokop were transferred from the abandoned Sázava monastery to the All Saints Church in Prague Castle . Shortly before his death he founded a hospital for the poor in Müglitz. His body was buried in St. Vitus Cathedral.

literature

• Winfried Eberhard, in: Erwin Gatz : The Bishops of the Holy Roman Empire 1448–1648. Pp. 465-466, ISBN 3-428-08422-5 .
• James R. Palmitessa: The Archbishops of Prague in Urban Struggles of the Confessional Age, 1561-1612. In: Zdeněk V. David u. a. (Ed.): The Bohemian Reformation and Religious Practice - Vol. 4. Prague 2002, ISBN 80-86675-01-7 , pp. 261-273.

predecessor	Office	successor
Anton Brus von Müglitz	Archbishop of Prague 1581–1590	Zbynko Berka from Duba and Leipa