Wilhelm Molitor

Wilhelm Molitor (actually Georg Wilhelm Molitor, Schriftstellerpseudonyme Benno Bronner and Ulrich Riesler ) ( born August 24, 1819 in Zweibrücken, † January 11, 1880 in Speyer ) was a civil servant, writer and poet and canon in Speyer.

Life

Youth and civil service

Wilhelm Molitor was born the son of the Appeals Council Joseph Alois Molitor and his wife Aloysia born Maier from Mainz. He went in Zweibrücken to school, high school with a grade of excellent and completed his studies in Munich and Heidelberg, philosophy and law. He took off both legal examinations and entered as a civil servant in the Bavarian civil service. From 1843 he worked for the county government in Speyer. In 1846 he was a government clerk. From the revolutionary government of the Palatinate in 1849, he asked to take an oath or to resign. Molitor took his leave and went to his godfather Archbishop (later Cardinal ) John of scourge in Cologne, who advised him to study theology in Bonn. Three semesters studied the Palatinate there, then again in Munich and Heidelberg. Then he entered the seminary and was ordained by Bishop of Speyer Nikolaus von Weis on 31 July 1851 a priest.

Work as a clergyman

Wilhelm Molitor officiated first as a chaplain in Schiffer city. Still in 1851, he was appointed as Vicar ( Bishop Secretary) and Episcopal chaplain to Speyer. Eventually he became a clergyman Council and was elected on November 11, 1857 in Speyer cathedral chapter. Molitor was the "right hand " of Bishop Weis and lived there until his death in 1869 together with him in the bishop's house. In the Diocese of managing the canon had to work as a lawyer, especially canonical, but also art-historical questions. He also taught art history and spiritual eloquence at the seminary. In his role as episcopal secretary Molitor accompanied the Speyer Pastors on his Firm, Visitation and other forms of travel. He also participated in the Episcopal conferences and made ​​friends here, and others with Bishop Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler of Mainz as well as with the Munich archbishop and later Cardinal Karl August von Reisach that eventually the attention of Pope Pius IX. drew on him. This drew him in 1864 with a doctorate of theology and canon called the Speyer in 1868 and 1869 for preparatory work for the Vatican Council in Rome. At this he took to the premature termination in part as a result of the 1870 war. Except in the pastoral care Molitor operated upon his return in the care of the Catholic journeymen Association Speyer and also founded a Catholic. Reading Society, were held in the literary lectures. Since Easter 1879 bedridden, died the priest on January 11, 1880 in Speyer and was buried with great ceremony on the Domkapitelsfriedhof.

Other work

From 1875 Molitor worked for two years for the district of Neustadt an der Saale as a deputy in the Bavarian parliament, but was eliminated because the policy was not his metier. As a writer and poet home he developed a very fruitful activity. Under the pseudonyms Benno Bronner and Ulrich Riesler, but also under his real name, he has written numerous local history, church history, theological and historical works of art, but also dramas, poems and songs, uA the romance novel The beautiful Zweibrückerin and an anniversary book about Pope Pius IX. On the occasion of 800 years of Speyer consecration of the cathedral anniversary 1861 Molitor wrote the well-known Marian hymn " O queen full glory ", which is very common in the diocese now has almost the character of a folk song and also in the Speyer edition of the Catholic hymnal " praise of God " is added ( song No. 891 ). Keen interest and great support was expressed for him the painting of the Imperial Cathedral, with original frescoes. The exporting painter Johann Schraudolph immortalized Molitor on a monumental fresco of the north transept (1960 removed) King Conrad III. ( HRR ) decreases from St. Bernard of Clairvaux the Cross Banner contrary. King Conrad wears there Molitor's facial features. Finally, Wilhelm Molitor discovered in 1860, on the occasion of a visitation with his bishop in the ancient church of the Northern Palatinate Boßweiler ( in green city) behind the high altar several medieval painted wooden panels that were there as waste. He recognized it immediately parts of an extremely valuable altarpiece, which was reassembled and restored. He was received under the name Boßweiler altar in art history and is considered one of the most important attractions in Speyer. The 2006 beatified priest Paul Josef Nardini he held the later published in print eulogy at his funeral in 1862.

Grave inscription

Works (selection)

• The beautiful Zweibrückerin. - 1844;
• Domlieder. - 1846;
• The immunity of the cathedral at Speyer. - 1859;
• Emmanuel, a dramatic poem written for the eighth Säcularfeier the consecration of the cathedral of Speyer. - 1861;
• The old German craft. - 1864;
• Julian the Apostate. - 1866;
• The theater in its meaning and in its current position. - 1866;
• The great power of the press. - 1866;
• The organization of the Catholic daily press. - 1867;
• Christmas Dream. - 1867;
• About Goethe's Faust. - 1869;
• Rome: A Guide to the Eternal City and the Roman Campagna. - 1870;
• Mary Magdalene. - 1873;
• Lord of Syllabus - 1873;
• Cardinal Reisach. - 1874;
• Burning Questions. - 1874;
• The Emperor's favorite. - 1874;
• The Caplan of Friedlingen. - 1877;
• Dramatic games. - 1878;
• The flower of Sicily. - 1880;