Josip Juraj Strossmayer

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Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Illyrian Movement
Signature

Josip Juraj Strossmayer, also Štrosmajer (pronounced

Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (today named Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts) and the Gallery of Old Masters in Zagreb
.

Early life and Church career

Josip Juraj Strossmayer at younger age

Strossmayer was born in

Catholic seminary in Đakovo. He earned a PhD in philosophy at a high seminary in Budapest, at the age of 20.[2]

In 1838, he worked as a

Habsburg palace chaplain (a position he would hold until 1859), and named one of the rectors of the Augustineum.[2] On 18 November, 1849, he was appointed Bishop of Đakovo, and was consecrated on 8 September, 1850. At the same time, he was Apostolic Administrator of Belgrade and Smederevo in Serbia. In 1898, the pope conferred the pallium on him.[2]

First Vatican Council

At the First Vatican Council (1869–1870), Strossmayer was one of the most notable opponents of papal infallibility, and distinguished himself as a speaker. Pope Pius IX praised Strossmayer's "remarkably good Latin." A speech in which Strossmayer defended Protestantism made a great sensation.[2] Another speech, allegedly delivered on 2 June 1870 was attributed to him.[3] It was a forged by a former Augustinian, Mexican named José Agustín de Escudero. It was full of heresies and denied not only papal infallibility, but also the papal primacy.[2]

On 26 December 1872, Strossmayer published the decrees of the council in his official paper.[2] He later proclaimed his submission to the pope, as in his pastoral letter of 28 February 1881 on Sts. Cyril and Methodius, expressing his devotion to the papal see at times in extravagant language.[4]

Political work

In politics, Strossmayer was an active supporter of the People's Party, he advocated and Pan-Slavism[2] and Yugoslavism.[5] He started his political career in 1860, when he became member of the Imperial Council. There, he spoke against centralism and absolutism, bust also opposed Hungarian demands for greater independence. He supported federalization of the Austrian Empire. After Strossmayer's criticism, Imperial government made concessions regarding the official use of the Croatian language in Croatia and Slavonia.[6]

In 1861, Strossmayer became member of the

Transleithania (Hungary).[5] In 1868, Croatian and Hungarian member of the Diet of Hungary agreed on the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement, an arrangement Strossmayer opposed. He boycotted that session of the Diet.[5] Later, in 1872, Strossmayer was part of the Sabor delegation that negotiated some amendments to the Settlement with Hungarians. Soon after, Strossmayer ended his political career.[5]

In 1860, Strossmayer advocated Yugoslavism within federal Austria-Hungary. Frenchman Charles Loiseau wrote that Serbian Prince Mihailo prepared a secret plan on unification of Serbs and Croats in 1866. According to Loiseau, this plain was prepared by Jovan Ristić, Prince Nicholas I of Montenegro and Strossmayer.[7] Strossmayer published denial and called this a lie.[7]

Cultural work

Strossmayer used the large revenues of his diocese to found educational and art institutions. Under his direction,

Old Slavonic liturgy.[2]

Strossmayer was instrumental in the founding of the

The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters (1884) in Zagreb.[10]

Strossmayer aided the creation of the printing house in

Matica slovenska and actively supported Matica srpska, the national culture societies of the Slovenes and the Serbs
, respectively.

Josip Juraj Strossmayer

Personal life

Burial site of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Đakovo Cathedral krypt.

Since the early days of his episcopate, he was a close friend of Franjo Rački, the most renowned Croatian historian of his time. When the Academy was founded in 1867, Strossmayer was named chief sponsor, and Rački its President. In 1894, when Rački died, Strossmayer wrote: "I lost my dearest friend... I lost a part of myself... the good half of everything I have created was his thought, his credit and his glory". Their friendship was well documented in a series of four books containing their letters, compiled by historian Ferdo Šišić.[11]

Legacy

Strossmayer monument in Zagreb by Ivan Meštrović

Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović dedicated a booklet entitled Religion and Nationality in Serbia to Strossmayer: “to the memory of the great Croatian patriot Bishop Strossmayer on the centenary of his birth (1815–1915)".[12]

In 1881,

mycologist) published a genus of fungi in the family Helotiaceae as Strossmayeria which was named in Strossmayer's honour.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ Arthur J. May, The Hapsburg Monarchy, 1867–1914 (New York: W. W. Norton, 1968), 73. Contemporaries spelled the name "Straussmeyer".
  2. ^
    The Catholic Encyclopedia
    Vol. 14. Robert Appleton Company, New York. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
  3. ^ East European Accessions Index, Volume 4. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1955. p. 58.
  4. ISBN 978-0-92330-974-9
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e Potočnjak, Franko (16 August 1905). "Штросмајер као политичар". Srpski književni glasnik. 2. 15 (4): 262–272.
  6. ^ Potočnjak, Franko (1 August 1905). "Штросмајер као политичар". Srpski književni glasnik. 1. 15 (3): 189–198.
  7. ^ a b Potočnjak, Franko (1 September 1905). "Штросмајер као политичар". Srpski književni glasnik. 3. 15 (5): 344–359.
  8. ^ "History of the University of Zagreb". University of Zagreb. 2005. Retrieved 2010-09-30. Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer in 1861 proposed to the Croatian Parliament that a legal basis be established for the founding of the University of Zagreb. During his visit to Zagreb in 1869 the Emperor Franz Joseph signed the Decree on the Establishment of the University of Zagreb.
  9. ^ Josip Juraj Strossmayer (1861-04-29). "Akademija znanosti - put prema narodnom obrazovanju". Speech in the Croatian Parliament (in Croatian). Wikisource. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
  10. ^ "Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts - The Founding of the Academy". Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. 2007. Archived from the original on 2010-06-06. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
  11. ^ Polić, Maja (2011). "Nekadašnja Rijeka i Riječani, s osvrtom na korespondenciju Rački – Strossmayer". Problemi Sjevernog Jadrana (in Croatian) (11): 39–71. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  12. ^ Markovich, Slobodan G. (2017). "Activities of Father Nikolai Velimirovich in Great Britain during the Great War". Balcanica. 48: 152.
  13. ISBN 978-3-946292-41-8
    . Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "Strossmayeria - Search Page". www.speciesfungorum.org. Species Fungorum. Retrieved 9 November 2022.

Further reading

External links

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