Sigismund III. Christoph von Schrattenbach

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Prince Archbishop Siegmund Christoph von Schrattenbach, portrait of Franz Xaver König

Sigismund Graf von Schrattenbach (born February 28, 1698 in Graz , † December 16, 1771 in Salzburg ) was a Roman Catholic clergyman and archbishop of Salzburg.

family

Sigismund came from the noble Schrattenbach family , who immigrated from Franconia to Styria in the middle of the 15th century ; he was the son of Otto Heinrich, Count von Schrattenbach, and Maria Theresia, Countess von Wildenstein, widowed Baroness Gall von Gallenstein.

Life

After studying in Salzburg, Schrattenbach went to Rome to study theology . He was ordained priest at the age of 25 on January 10, 1723. In 1733 he received a seat and vote in the Salzburg cathedral chapter . After the death of Archbishop Jakob Ernst von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn , Schrattenbach was appointed governor of the Hohenwerfen Fortress and administrator of the cathedral chapter foundations by the cathedral chapter in 1747 . Soon he was appointed cathedral dean and privy councilor.

Archbishop Schrattenbach's grave
Archbishop Schrattenbach's grave monument in Salzburg Cathedral

He was considered to be morally strict and loyal to Rome, but his hard work, organizational talent, business acumen and diplomatic dexterity were also recognized.

After the death of Andreas Jakob von Dietrichstein in 1753, the cathedral chapter chose the new archbishop in the most difficult choice of the archbishopric. The decision was not made until the 13th election day and in the 50th vote. With eleven out of twenty votes against Josef Maria Graf Thun , Bishop of Gurk, the majority ultimately fell on Schrattenbach. Count Schrattenbach was more likely to have complied with the wishes of the Salzburg population than Count Thun, who was downright hated, but Schrattenbach was by no means popular with the people. Schrattenbach himself saw his election as coming from the Holy Spirit , so he did not feel obliged to the canon. On May 7, 1753, he made his ceremonial entry into the city. On December 16 of the same year, Count Thun donated him episcopal ordination .

Sigismund III. Christoph von Schrattenbach, 1763

He had the Sigmundstor built from 1764 to 1767 , which is 131 meters long. It was a great achievement for Salzburg as it opened the city to the west. During his tenure, both Leopold Mozart and his son Wolfgang Amadeus were employed as musicians in the archbishop's court orchestra. Another important court composer and organist who was engaged by Schrattenbach was Michael Haydn , who also composed the Requiem , which was performed on the occasion of the bishop's funeral in December 1771.

Archbishop Schrattenbach was buried in the crypt of Salzburg Cathedral. His heart was buried in a silver urn in front of the altar of the Sacellum of the University of Salzburg.

coat of arms

Coat of arms of the Archbishop of Salzburg

The coat of arms, split twice in the main shield, divided once, six fields: the heart shield shows a white diagonal right-hand flow in the black field, a golden star in the upper left corner, and an upright, mutilated golden branch on the right with three golden leaves (family coat of arms) in the lower right corner. Above the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Salzburg, in front in gold an upright black, red-tongued lion facing to the right and behind in red a white central bar. Split in the middle 1, in front in gold half a red eagle on the column, behind in silver four red diagonal bars; 2 in red two silver hands, thumbs turned inward; 3 in the field divided ten times by gold and black, a white diagonal bar on the right; 4 a green laurel wreath in silver; 5 in silver a black floating paw cross; 6 in red a white lion.

The original Schrattenbach coat of arms was augmented by that of the extinct family of the Herren von der Dürr , the coat of arms was varied several times.

literature

Web links

Commons : Sigismund Christoph von Schrattenbach  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Andreas Jakob Count von Dietrichstein Archbishop of Salzburg
1753–1771 		Jerome of Colloredo
personal data
SURNAME Sigismund III. Christoph von Schrattenbach
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schrattenbach, Sigismund Christoph Graf von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Archbishop of Salzburg (1753–1771)
DATE OF BIRTH February 28, 1698
PLACE OF BIRTH Graz
DATE OF DEATH December 16, 1771
Place of death Salzburg