Metadata: Episcopal Consistory of Brno
Collection
- Country:
- Czechia
- Holding institution:
- Episcopal Archives of the Diocese of Brno
- Holding institution (official language):
- Diecézní archiv Biskupství brněnského
- Postal address:
- Odbojářů 803, Rajhrad, 664 61
- Phone number:
- 00420 530 506 873
- Web address:
- http://www.biskupstvi.cz/diecezni-archiv
- Email:
- archiv@biskupstvi.cz
- Reference number:
- 3
- Title:
- Episcopal Consistory of Brno
- Title (official language):
- Biskupská konsistoř Brno
- Creator/accumulator:
- Episcopal Consistory of Brno
- Date(s):
- 1399/1996
- Language:
- Czech
- German
- Latin
- Extent:
- 584 linear metres
- Type of material:
- Photographic images
- Physical condition:
- poor
- Scope and content:
-
The fonds of the Episcopal Consistory Brno includes that part of the episcopal archive which concerns the agenda which was not dealt with by the bishop personally but which he passed to his office - the Episcopal Consistory. The fonds includes sources on the history of church, economy, education and culture on the territory of the Brno diocese. The Jewish population is mentioned in particulars documenting the coexistence of the Jewish minority with the majority population. They mainly concern changes of creed, most often in connection with marriages: an index of changes of religion (1843-1923), documents concerning changes of religion (1812-1950), conversions of Catholics to Judaism (1868-1878) and baptisms of Jews (1732-1949). Numerous occurrences of this phenomenon in 1939-1943 illustrate the efforts of many families still denominationally mixed to avoid consequences of Nazi legislation and persecution.
From the period of the validity of the Familianten Gesetz come files of the case of Label Tintner from Slavkov regarding his marriage without license (1839) and files from the investigation of Samuel Schulmeister from Mikulov who allegedly obtained by fraud a certificate needed to get the position of the Jewish "familiant" (1832-1833). The fonds also includes a report on the appointment of Nehemiah Třebětický from Mikulov the chief provincial rabbi (1832). Another part of the fonds includes records of Jewish entries in Catholic registries on the basis of repeated examinations carried out in 1931-1943. The fonds also contains files evidencing antisemitic tendencies in society and conflict situations in the coexistence of both cultures. These cases concern respect for holidays, matters of parishioners who performed work for Jews on the festive days (18th century), lifting the ban of Christian porters, nurses, journeymen and apprentices employed by Jews (1860), a Jewish wedding held in Breclav at the time of fasting (1850), the opening of Jewish stores on Sundays in Rousínov (1842) and a ballet performance of Jewish youth at the time of fasting in Mikulov (1869). Quite frequent are also direct expressions of ethnic distrust: the appointment of Jewish women as midwives (1826-1892), protests of the church authorities against the sale of houses in Breclav to Jews (1846), and settling Jews in the parish of St. Nicholas in Znojmo (1858). On the other hand, there can also be found regulations to protect the Jews: measures against antisemitic mood disseminated by some clergymen (1848), measures against the dissemination of news about the state bankruptcy and against buying bills and government securities below cost from the Jews (1861).
An important part of the fonds is the School registry which is a valuable source of history of education in the given territory, including Jewish education. In 1805-1869, all schools, both trivial and general, were directly supervised by the local priest, together with the local secular supervisor. The function of the district school superintendent was usually performed by the respective dean. Reports of these school inspectors were sent to the regional authorities and the Consistory. Part of the files of the School registry of the Consistory thus deals with Jewish schools: Boskovice (1805-1869), Břeclav - Jewish School (1851-1864) and Jewish girls' industrial school (1860), Dolní Kounice (1808-1869), Hodonín (1863), Ivančice (1808-1868), Lomnice (1815-1856), including a private education for the children of Josef Zeissel, a Jewish "familiant" in Lomnice (1844-1845), Miroslav (1851-1866), Mikulov - the Jewish principal school (1810-1867), the German Jewish school for girls (1853-1864), the Jewish Institute for the deaf-mute (1845-1847), a shelter for Jewish children (1854), a Jewish industrial school (1854) and examinations of private Jewish pupils (1832), Písečné (1820-1881), Podivín (1860), Pohořelice (1812-1862), Rousínov (1822-1864), Slavkov (1819-1869), Šafov (1808-1867), Třebíč - the Jewish School (1819-1867) and the main Jewish school (1867-1868), and comprehensively reports on Jewish schools (1805, 1868). Special attention is paid to religion education: Boskovice, teaching the Catholic religion at the Jewish German school (1878-1906), teaching religion to Jewish pupils at Catholic schools (1851-1869), and teaching Jewish philosophy students religion, especially in Mikulov (1832). It also deals with the functioning of confessional schools in religiously mixed regions: a visit to the Jewish school in Písečná by Christian children (1876), a permission for Jewish children to visit evangelical schools (1849), and adaptations of classes for Jewish pupils (1840). Separate files were kept for teachers at all types of schools and for their career progression: Jews as teachers at elementary schools in Jihlava, Znojmo, Moravský Krumlov, etc. (1872-1882), and the election of Jew Moritz Kohn a teacher at the town school in Ivančice (1875), the appointment of the religion teacher in Ivančice (1884), a request of Benedict Nephtaly, the teacher of Jewish religion in Mikulov, for being paid a fee for teaching (1827), a request of David Bruckner, a teacher at the Jewish school in Lomnice for admission to the examination (1857), allowing Samuel Cech, a teacher at the private Jewish school in Rousínov, to visit a pre-school institution (1856), Josef Deutsch, a Jewish teacher in Mikulov (1842-1849), Bernard Deutsch, a Jewish teacher in Mikulov (1869), a request of Jew Jonas Goldmann from Ivančice for admission to the examination (1848), and admitting Jew Joachim Goldmann from Breclav to the examination (1848), Abraham Hansel, a Jewish teacher in Ivančice (1848), Herschl Hannak, a Jewish teacher in Boskovice (1850-1852), the exclusion of Lazarus Haas, a Jew from Lipnik, from all schools (1858), Simon Jelinek, a Jewish teacher in Pohořelice (1855), suspecting Josef Masek, a teacher at a Jewish school in Trebic, of having anti-religious books (1833-1849), Nathan Pollak, a teacher at a Jewish school in Ivancice (1808-1835), Isaac Schmeidler, a Jewish teacher's assistant in Ivančice (1845 -1847), Jakub Schnabel, a Jewish private teacher in Rousínov (1846-1848), Solomon Stein, a Jewish private teacher in Trebic (1847), a request of Emanuel Scherber, a Jewish teacher in Lomnice, for admission to the examination (1847), a permit for rabbi Michael Stessel to teach religion in Rousínov (1847), Samuel Trieschet, a private Jewish teacher in Podivín (1846-1847), and Isaac Weigel, a private Jewish teacher in Podivín (1847).
- Archival history:
- In the period of 1777-1956 the registry was managed by the Consistory. In 1956, the archival records dating up to 1950 were transferred to the State Archives (today the Moravian Provincial Archives). The fonds was processed and arranged there in 1962-1965. In 2009, the Brno Bishopric took over the fonds in its own archive.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Brno Bishopric was established in 1777 when it was separated from the Bishopric of Olomouc which was promoted to archbishopric. It managed church administration in the territory of its diocese. Besides partial changes concerning its borders, the most substantial intervention in its powers was the detachment of the border areas under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and the establishment of the General Vicariate of Mikulov. The Communist state in 1948-1989 interfered in its powers and persecuted both the active clergy and lay persons. Bishop Karel Skoupý was prevented, in 1953-1968, from administering the diocese by being imprisoned and after his death in 1972 the bishopric remained vacant. The administration of the diocese was performed by the diocese's vicar.
- Access points: persons/families:
- Schulmeister, Samuel
- Tintner, Label
- Třebětický, Nehemiah
- Zeissel, Josef
- Subject terms:
- Aid and relief
- Antisemitism
- Children
- Christianity
- Christianity--Christian holidays
- Conversion to Christianity
- Conversion to Judaism
- Education
- Education--Schools and universities
- Education--Students
- Education--Teachers and professors
- Health and medical matters
- Health and medical matters--Midwives
- Interfaith marriage
- Jewish holidays
- Jewish-Christian relations
- Marriage and divorce
- Rabbis
- Residency issues of Jews
- Theatre
- System of arrangement:
- The fonds includes the following parts: I. Official books, II. The old registry, III. The main registry, IV. The school registry, V. The case registry, VI. The Bishop's Court, VII. The Prosecutor's Office of the episcopal seminar, VIII. Visitations, IX. Church accounts, X. The Episcopal Consistory (1950-1990).
- Finding aids:
- Švábenský M: Konsistoř Brno I. Inventář, Brno, 1962, 167 s., evid. č. 6; Švábenský M: Konsistoř Brno II. Inventář, Brno, 1962, 240 s., evid. č. 7; Švábenský M: Konsistoř Brno III. Inventář, Brno, 1962, 192 s., evid. č. 8; Švábenský M: Konsistoř Brno IV. Inventář, Brno, 1962, 193 s., evid. č. 9; Švábenský M: Konsistoř Brno V., inventář, Brno, 1962, 146 s., evid. č. 10; Musilová M, Švábenský M: Biskupská konsistoř Brno-školské spisy. Inventář, Brno, 1961, 150 s., evid. č. 5; Zelinka P: Konzistoř Brno, 1950-1990. Inventář, Brno, 2011, 104 s., evid. č. 11; Netíková N, Převorová V, Šlorová A: Ordinariát Brno a Konsistoř Brno. Jmenný a místní rejstřík, díl I-III. Brno, 1967, 560 s., evid. č. 31;
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Prague
- Author of the description:
- JMP Survey, 2015.
