Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.32728/h2020.02
“A man who lived a pious life in the early 18th century”. Contribution to the biography of Peter Anton Gaus (1646 – 1716), the Bishop of Pićan
Elvis Orbanić
Sažetak
So far in historiography, little attention has been given to the Bishop of Pićan, Peter Anton Gaus. The reason for this is certainly the modest preservation of documents for the period of his episcopate. His will and codicil are the only more copious surviving documents left by Gaus. He was born in 1646 in a noble family in Rijeka as the eldest son. He was most likely educated by the Jesuits in his hometown, and then continued his studies to the academic degree of Doctor of Theology. He was pastor in Bolzano, and then from 1679 pastor in Rijeka. That same year he became canon, archpriest and, from 1683, archdeacon and associate vicar of the bishop of Pula for the archdeaconry of Rijeka. He was elected bishop of Pićan in 1691, and confirmed by the Pope on 9 March 1693. He regularly reported to the Holy See on the situation in the area of the Diocese of Pićan. He also complied with the regulations regarding the performance of pastoral visits. He acted a total of 114 times in the episcopal mission of giving the Holy orders. The income of the diocese itself, which numbered from about 4,000 to about 6,000 souls during his reign, was so small that he could survive on them for only a few months. Due to his illness, in 1713 he received a coadjutor in the person of Giorgio Francesco Saverio Marotti. In his private life he was particularly close to his brother Giovanni Carlo, which manifested itself through the bishopʼs coverage of the costs of his brotherʼs treatment and his numerous debts. He also educated his two sons, one to the degree of Doctor of Science in Padua. He was especially attached to his nephew Saverio Gaus, to whom he certainly provided a prestigious education, and left him a notable fortune in his will. He appointed his sister Vittoria Tudorović as the main heiress, and in fact the person in charge of dividing all the remaining property for religious purposes. He was especially attached to Rijeka, the city of his birth, in which all his estates were located. Bishop Gaus was a person of outstanding piety and empathy. Namely, he bequeathed several thousand masses to be served to save his own soul, the souls of some other people, and money to help the poor. He died in Pićan on 22 April 1716, and was buried in front of the main altar of the Pićan Cathedral in the bishopʼs tomb, where his body was found in 1811, allegedly in an undecomposed state.
Ključne riječi
Peter Anton Gaus; Pićan Diocese; Istria; Rijeka; Early Modern Period; piety; the last will and testament
Hrčak ID:
269643
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.12.2020.
Posjeta: 1.271 *