Eduard von der Ropp
Encyclopedia
Eduard Michael Johann Maria Baron von der Ropp (1851–1939) was a German
-Polish
nobleman and Russia
n Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishop. He was born 15 December 1851 near Līksna
in present-day Latvia
and died on 25 July 1939 in Poznań
, Poland
.
von der Ropp and Isabella Josepha Contessa
von Plater-Syberg. His father was a direct descendant of Theodoricus de Raupena, the eldest brother of Bishop Albert who founded the city of Riga
in 1201. His mother's family had estates at both Lixna (Līksna) in the Russian
province of Latgalia and Bewern (Bebrene) in the Russian province of Semigallia.
He received his university education in Saint Petersburg
and graduated in 1875. After graduation he remained in Saint Petersburg working for the Russian government. In 1886 he decided to enter the Roman Catholic seminary
in Kaunas
. In 1889 he was ordained priest
for the diocese
of Samogitia
.
After ordination Fr. von der Ropp was sent to Liepāja
in Courland
where he worked as a parish priest for 13 years. While there he began enlargement of a smaller church building into what is now the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Liepāja. In 1893 he was given additional responsibility as the vicar of all parishes in Courland.
. He was ordained bishop in Saratov
on 16 November 1902.
Only a year later on 9 November 1903 he was appointed bishop of Vilnius by Pope Pius X
. On 2 December 1903 Bishop von der Ropp was installed in the cathedral in Vilnius
. He traveled back to Saratov in 1904 to co-consecrate his successor as bishop of Tiraspol Josef Alois Kessler
on 10 November.
After the 1905 revolution Bishop von der Ropp was elected to the first Duma
. In 1907 he was exiled to Tbilisi
in the Caucasus
by the imperial Russian government.
On 25 July 1917 he was appointed metropolitan archbishop of Mohilev
by Pope Benedict XV
. He returned to Saint Petersburg to take up this post, but quickly came into conflict with the new Soviet
government. He received a death sentence for anti-Soviet activities in 1919, but instead was deported to Poland in 1920 on the intercession of the Holy See
.
Unable to return to Russia, he lived in Poland with one of his nephews until his death in 1939. He traveled to Latvia in 1924 to attend the ingress of Archbishop Antonijs Springovičs at the Cathedral of St. James in Riga on 4 May and to co-consecrate the new auxiliary bishop
of Riga Jāzeps Rancāns the same day. Archbishop von der Ropp is buried within the cathedral in Poznań.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
-Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
nobleman and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishop. He was born 15 December 1851 near Līksna
Liksna
- External links :* in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland...
in present-day Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and died on 25 July 1939 in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Early life
Eduard von der Ropp was the third of four sons of Emmerich Julius BaronBaron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
von der Ropp and Isabella Josepha Contessa
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
von Plater-Syberg. His father was a direct descendant of Theodoricus de Raupena, the eldest brother of Bishop Albert who founded the city of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in 1201. His mother's family had estates at both Lixna (Līksna) in the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
province of Latgalia and Bewern (Bebrene) in the Russian province of Semigallia.
He received his university education in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and graduated in 1875. After graduation he remained in Saint Petersburg working for the Russian government. In 1886 he decided to enter the Roman Catholic seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
. In 1889 he was ordained priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
for the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Samogitia
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kaunas is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Lithuania. It is based in Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. It was established as the Diocese of Samogitia in 1417 with a seat in Medininkai according to...
.
After ordination Fr. von der Ropp was sent to Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
in Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
where he worked as a parish priest for 13 years. While there he began enlargement of a smaller church building into what is now the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Liepāja. In 1893 he was given additional responsibility as the vicar of all parishes in Courland.
Episcopal ministry
Fr. von der Ropp was appointed bishop of Tiraspol in southern Russia on 9 June 1902 by Pope Leo XIIIPope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. He was ordained bishop in Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
on 16 November 1902.
Only a year later on 9 November 1903 he was appointed bishop of Vilnius by Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
. On 2 December 1903 Bishop von der Ropp was installed in the cathedral in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. He traveled back to Saratov in 1904 to co-consecrate his successor as bishop of Tiraspol Josef Alois Kessler
Josef Alois Kessler
Joseph Kessler was the last bishop of the Diocese of Tiraspol and the last Volga German bishop.-Biography:...
on 10 November.
After the 1905 revolution Bishop von der Ropp was elected to the first Duma
Russian legislative election, 1906
Legislative elections were held in the Russian Empire in March 1906. At stake were the 478 seats in the State Duma of the Russian Empire, the legislative assembly. Election for the First State Duma, a session which only ran from April 27 to July 21 1906, returned a significant bloc of moderate...
. In 1907 he was exiled to Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
by the imperial Russian government.
On 25 July 1917 he was appointed metropolitan archbishop of Mohilev
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mohilev
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mohilev was a territorial division of the Roman Catholic Church, covering a significant proportion of the territory of the Russian empire....
by Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
. He returned to Saint Petersburg to take up this post, but quickly came into conflict with the new Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
government. He received a death sentence for anti-Soviet activities in 1919, but instead was deported to Poland in 1920 on the intercession of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Unable to return to Russia, he lived in Poland with one of his nephews until his death in 1939. He traveled to Latvia in 1924 to attend the ingress of Archbishop Antonijs Springovičs at the Cathedral of St. James in Riga on 4 May and to co-consecrate the new auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Riga Jāzeps Rancāns the same day. Archbishop von der Ropp is buried within the cathedral in Poznań.