Susanna of Oberburg

Susanna von Oberburg (Slovenian Suzana Gornjegrajska ; * around 1530; † 1601 ) is referred to as a Poor Clare with sympathy for Protestantism . She comes from a noble family whose estates and castles were on the Poik (Pivka) in Inner Carniola (Notranjska).

Sympathies for Protestantism

Susanna, who later caused quite a stir as the abbess of the Poor Clare Monastery in Minkendorf (Mekinje), was the daughter of Heinrich von Oberburg and Annas, a born von Ritschan. After her mother, she was related to the Gallenbergs , who were hereditary bailiffs of the Minkendorf monastery near Stain (Kamnik) in Oberkrain , but were already ardent supporters of Protestantism at that time.

After having been a nun in Minkendorf for several years, she was elected abbess in 1583 on the initiative of her relative, the state councilor and the incumbent hereditary bailiff of the monastery, Johann Jobst von Gallenberg. Soon after her election as abbess, she ran and acted on her own initiative. Around 1590, the influence of Protestantism came to light. She began to read, collect and copy Lutheran books and she gave Jobst Jakob von Gallenberg "for the benefit of God and the monastery" among other things 3000 guilders from the monastery treasury, although she knew that Gallenberg was a Lutheran. In addition to the Lutheran texts, she also copied Marian songs, superstitious sayings, and incantations. In addition, she performed all sorts of strange piety and religious commandments and adorned herself with mysterious magic and witch symbols.

Denunciation for promoting Protestantism

In 1590 Susanna was denounced by the archdeacon Polydor von Montagnana at the church leadership of Aquileja (Slov. Oglej) because of her mental attitude . The church leadership, however, feared less Susanna's mindset than the possibility that the influential and powerful Gallenberg could seize the monastic property with the consent of the abbess and under the pretext of being a descendant of the monastery founder. In any case, the Patriarch of Aquilieja did not commission Montagnana to carry out a preliminary investigation until August 1592. As Susanna, however, refused to follow the advice and Montagnana to resign was a further investigation under the chairmanship of in November of the same year Sitticher ( Stična arranged) Abbot, Laurenz Suppan.

Investigation and indictment

Susanna was accused of the following offenses:

• 1. to keep Lutheran books and writings in the monastery,
• 2. To allow Lutheran relatives and nobles to enter the monastery who mocked spiritual matters,
• 3. To be invited by yourself and
• 4. To eat meat with them on special days of fasting.

During the investigation, the following Lutheran writings were presented: “The Lord's Prayer, briefly and extensively interpreted and singed by Dr. Martin Luther ”,“ A beautiful spiritual song ”,“ Another spiritual song ”,“ St. Jacob's song "," A beautiful spiritual song ... of seven words of Christ "," A beautiful different spiritual song "," Another song, ('Come here') "," A beautiful and new spiritual little song "," That Song Maria tender ”,“ A comforting song ”.

result of the investigation

After the investigation was over, the Patriarch Francesco Barbaro decided to depose Susanna as abbess and to elect a successor. Montagnana officially announced this decision on April 22, 1593 in Minkendorf. But Susanna seems to have had powerful allies. Because on April 4, 1593, her two nephews Andreas Bernhardin and Franz Georg von Oberburg as well as Andreas Paradeiser wrote to the Patriarch. There they filed a complaint against Polydor of Montagnana , whom they described as a public concubinarius of bad conduct and bad conscience. Susanna is a Catholic who hears mass every day and reads breviary . Another letter followed on June 5, in which the above-mentioned complainants as well as Jakob von Purgstall, Wolfgang della Tore, Ludovico a Turri and Jakob von Lamberg asked the Abbot of Parakeet and Scaraborsa , the Archdeacon of Gorizia and Captain to deal with this matter to be commissioned by Gradisca (Slov. Gradiška). The pastor of Celje / Cilli , Andreas Nepokoj , also promised help .

Re-examination

The patriarch finally wanted to get an idea of ​​the matter himself and came to Minkendorf himself on October 15, 1593, accompanied by Montagnana and the Laibach provost Freudenschuss. Based on the results of the investigation, the patriarch had Susanna brought to the Michelstetten Monastery in a closed car and had her belongings moved in. But the abbess of Michelstetten sent Susanna back in September 1594, on the grounds that she would stir up the nuns that the monastery was not in a position to finance Susanna's livelihood.

Last years

At first Susanna lived in Stain (Kamnik), where she was supported by her relatives and other people. Finally, Archduke Ferdinand stood up for her, who wrote a corresponding letter, dated October 28, 1594, to the Patriarch, saying that she should be allowed to return to Minkendorf so that she would not become a Lutheran out of grief. She was able to return to Minkendorf, but there immediately induced the sisters to disobey the new abbess. She also asked for her own room and for repayment of her debts. When her name appears for the last time in 1600 (according to others in 1601), she was locked in a cell in the monastery.

Appreciation

The powerful make the judgments and thus make a decisive contribution to the formation of opinion. It remains to be seen whether everything happened as it was portrayed negatively in the case of Susanna. Personal, material and church-political reasons and above all interests on both sides will certainly have been of significant weight. There are certainly reasons why Susanna had sympathy for Protestantism. However, the question: “Why?” Will probably no longer be answered. Susanna von Oberburg served as abbess from 1583 to 1593; she was likely to have dutifully and satisfactorily administered the office for about ten years before she could be accused of the aforementioned misconduct.

In any case, Susanna von Oberburg, along with Ursula Zeirer, is considered to be the most striking representative among the women of the monastery of the 16th century in Carniola, who showed obvious sympathy for the Protestant faith. Presumably she would have become a staunch Lutheran if the church authorities had not deprived her of the material foundations. The reason why she signed Susanna Vantuzzin on one of her brochures has not yet been clarified.

genealogy

Christoph , lived around 1500; ∞ Margaretha von Scheyer , she was still alive in 1543

Son:

Heinrich , ∞ around 1520 with Anna Ritschan

Children of Heinrich and Anna:

1. Kaspar , * around 1522, died unmarried
2. Katharina , * around 1524, ∞ I. Johann Krottendorfer , ∞ II. Martin Puchmayeritsch , ∞ III. Adam Tiliz
3. Susanna , * around 1530, † around 1600, abbess of Minkendorf
4. Clara , * around 1532, ∞ Ambrosius Raab
5. Melchior , * around 1523, he continued the family line, see Andree Bernhardin von Oberburg
6. Elisabeth , * around 1534, ∞ I. Kaspar Presinger , ∞ II. Blasius Kleinberger
7. Christoph , * around 1536, captain of Juvanitsch (Juvanić), no children
8. Balthasar , * around 1538, 1572 Captain zu Juvanitsch, ∞ I. NN. Sour to Kossiak , ∞ II. Philippa (Polixena?) Von Neuhaus

Children of Balthasar:

1. Balthasar , died near Petrinja in the Turkish War
2. Margaretha , single,
3. Magdalena , ∞ February 8th, 1581 Matthias Pitsch , ∞ II. Anton de Leo , still lived around 1609

See also

• Nobility register of the Duchy of Carniola from 1824

literature

• J. Gruden: Article about Susanna von Oberburg in: Izvestja muzejskega društva za Kranjsko. (Announcement from the Musealverein für Krain.) Years 1906, p. 121; 1909, p. 49.
• Damian Hančič: Klarise na Kranjskem. (Poor Clares in Krain.), Ljubljana 2005, ISBN 961-6247-13-1 .
• F. Kidrič: Suzana from Oberburg, Klarisinja s sympatijami za protestantizm. (Susanna von Oberburg, Poor Clare with sympathy for Protestantism.) In: Slovenski biografski leksikon. (The Slovenian Biographical Lexicon.) Part II. Reprint Nendeln, Lichtenstein 1976.
• Johann Loserth : Files and correspondence on the history of the Counter Reformation in Inner Austria under Ferdinand II. Second part, addenda No. 2752: Trial of the sister Susanna von Oberburg (contra sororem Susannam Obuerburgensem de Michendorff) of the Minkendorf monastery on November 14, 1592. In: Fontes Rerum Austriacum . Second division, LX. Tape. Vienna 1907.
• Thomas Wilhelmi : A song book as Corpus delicti: Protestant song pamphlets in the possession of the Minkendorf abbess Susanna von Oberburg . In: Reality as a Challenge: Literature in its concrete historical context. Festschrift for Wilhelm Kühlmann for his 65th birthday, ed. by Ralf Bogner, Berlin, etc .: De Gruyter, 2011, pp. 111–119.