Seminary of Vienna

Archiepiscopal Seminary of Vienna
Erzbischöfliches Priesterseminar Wien
Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Vienna
TypeDiocesan major seminary
Established1758; 267 years ago (1758)
by Christoph Anton Migazzi
Parent institution
Archdiocese of Vienna
AffiliationRoman Catholic
RectorRichard Tatzreiter
Students35 (2014)
Location
Vienna
,
Austria
CampusHaus Boltzmanngasse
LanguageGerman
WebsiteOfficial website

The Archiepiscopal Seminary of Vienna (German: Erzbischöfliches Priesterseminar Wien), commonly referred to in German as the Wiener Priesterseminar, is a Roman Catholic major seminary that serves as the seminary of the Archdiocese of Vienna. Founded in 1758 by the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Anton Migazzi, the seminary moved to its current building, the Haus Boltzmanngasse, in 1914. Today, the rector is Rev. Richard Tatzreiter and enrollment is 35.

History

The Archiepiscopal Seminary of Vienna was founded in 1758 by Count Christoph Anton Migazzi, the Archbishop of Vienna, as the main seminary for the training of priests for the Archdiocese of Vienna. For many years, it was located in the Curhaus in Stephansplatz, the same square in Vienna where St. Stephen's Cathedral is located. The building was expanded in 1805 during the reign of Archbishop Sigismund Anton von Hohenwart in order to accommodate more seminarians. By 1912, the seminary had grown to 112 seminarians.[1]

Haus Boltzmanngasse, home of the Seminary of Vienna since 1914.

During the reign of Cardinal Franz Xaver Nagl, the Haus Boltzmanngasse, a former hospital and later orphanage in the Alsergrund district of Vienna, was restored and expanded.[2] The new archbishop, Friedrich Gustav Piffl, made the decision to move the seminary from Curhaus to Boltzmanngasse.[2] The seminary made the move in the summer of 1914, and has remained in the new building ever since.[2]

Beginning with the 2012–2013 academic year, seminarians from the Burgenländisches Seminary and St. Pölten Seminary will be living and studying in the Seminary of Vienna facilities. In 2014, the seminary had 35 seminarians.

Administration and organization

Rev. Richard Tatzreiter is the seminary rector, and Rev. Markus Muth is vice rector.[3] Rev. Michael Meßner, SJ, is the spiritual director, and Michael Sipka is the librarian.[3]

Student life

Student body

In 2014, there were 35 seminarians at the Seminary of Vienna. However, ins addition to this, there are a number of other seminarians from the Burgenländisches Seminary and St. Pölten Seminary, which are now located in the same building.

Notable people

Alumni

Faculty

  • Johann Kurz, Austrian Roman Catholic priest and educator; prefect of studies at the seminary from 1939 to 1941
  • Maria Loley, Austrian social worker and educator; professor at the seminary from 1996 to 2003
  • Heinrich Segur, Austrian Jesuit priest and educator; spiritual director at the seminary from 1966 to 1969

Rectors

See also

References

  1. ^ Lins, Joseph (1912). "Vienna". The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York City: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. ^ a b c "Erzbischöfliches Priesterseminar Wien". www.wiener-priesterseminar.at (in German). Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  3. ^ a b "Erzdiözese Wien". www.erzdioezese-wien.at (in German). Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  4. ^ "Erzbischöfliches Priesterseminar Wien". www.wienerpriesterseminar.at (in German). Retrieved 2017-03-27.