Matthias Spanlang
Matthias Spanlang (born February 20, 1887 in Kallham ; † June 5, 1940 in Buchenwald concentration camp ) was an Austrian priest , opponent of National Socialism and prisoner in Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps.
Life
Spanlang came from a farming family based on the Steindlgut in Stockham . Because of his talent he laid after visiting the elementary school and college Petrinum in Linz , the High School from. He then studied Roman Catholic theology . On July 31, 1910, he was ordained a priest in Linz and then worked as a parish vicar in various parishes. On December 31, 1925, the parish of St. Martin im Innkreis was transferred to him for parish work. In the service appraisals he was described as self-confident with a tendency to act independently. He visited the inn, enjoyed hunting, and maintained close contact with his community members. He has also been described as a good preacher with original language.
As early as 1931, when meetings of Austrian National Socialists were being held in Sankt Martin, he made himself unpopular in these circles for his sermons and newspaper articles . This ultimately led to his being transferred to the Rieder prison on May 24, 1938, and from there to the Dachau concentration camp. Despite the willingness to release Spanlang from the Dachau concentration camp in December 1938, although travel funds were available and all conditions were met, Spanlang remained in the concentration camp. On September 26, 1939, he was transferred from Dachau to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
According to the report of a fellow prisoner who was later released, the Cistercian order man Konrad Just , Spanlang was taken to the detention bunker together with the priest Otto Neururer because both of them had carried out religious acts that were prohibited in the camp - in this case the preparation for admission of a fellow prisoner who was a Catholic wanted to convert . According to Konrad Just and chaplain Alfred Berchtold (1904–1985), Neururians were hung naked and upside down by their feet until after 34 hours the painful death occurred as a result of excessive blood pressure in the head. His legs were wrapped in lambskins to avoid leaving any traces of hanging. Four days later, at roll call, the death of Pastor Spanlang was reported, who was probably murdered in a similar way, although there is no certainty about the circumstances of his death.
On June 8, 1940, the Parish Office of St. Martin reported to the neighboring parishes:
" According to the official notification to the relatives, on June 5th d. J. the Rev. Mathias Spanlang, pastor of St. Martin i. I., died of sudden heart failure. His body was cremated. Here will now take place on Tuesday, June 11th. 10 h new time a festive. Requiem, which the Reverend Mr. Dechant celebrates for the deceased. The Herzl. Invitation. "
Aftermath
In 1996, Otto Neururer of Pope John Paul II. Beatified but not Pastor Matthias Spanlang, since there are no exact circumstances of his "natural" notarized death. One assumes, however, a similarly cruel murder as that of Otto Neururer.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of his death in 2010 , students from the parish of Neumarkt organized a memorial service and showed a self-made exhibition. During a visit to the Buchenwald Memorial , they handed over a plaque for Spanlang, which will be installed in the crematorium . As early as 2002, pupils from the Neumarkt secondary school devoted themselves to the life of the “martyr of the faith” in a project and designed a brochure.
literature
- Monika Würthinger: Matthias Spanlang. Pastor in St. Martin im Innkreis. In: Jan Mikrut (Ed.): Martyrs of Faith. Martyrology of the 20th century. Volume 2 Dioceses: Graz-Seckau, Linz. 2nd edition, Wagner Verlag, Linz 2015, pp. 247–262.
Web links
- Commemoration in Kallham , accessed June 30, 2011.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Johannes Maria Lenz : Christ in Dachau , Vienna 1974, pp. 112 and 113
- ↑ Weimar Catholic Parish: Matthias Spanlang (1887–1940) ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 30, 2011
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Spanlang, Matthias |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Catholic priest |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 20, 1887 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kallham |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 5, 1940 |
| Place of death | Buchenwald concentration camp |