Quirin Mickl

P. Quirin Mickl is considered the most educated abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Vyšší Brod. Before he entered the monastery he graduated from philosophy and later also from theology and both laws and according to tradition could speak twenty languages. After a priestly consecration in 1735 he became a professor of theology in the archbishop college of Saint Vojtěch in Prague and remained in this post until 1747 when he was elected to be an abbot. His education enabled him to successfully prosecute a number of law causes that the monastery had to solve at his time. For example he successfully clarified the way to assume all monastery estates required by order of the emperor as well as successfully finishing a cause against Earl Buquoy about staffing the vicarage Saint Anna - Dobrá Voda. At he end of his rule Mickl had to fight very hard for a way to staff monastery vicarages with friars from the Vyšší Brod monastery because there were many extra secular clergy. This cause was solved for the monastery by Mickl\'s successor, the abbot Herrmann Kurz.

Mickl also took care of his own monastery. He founded the monastery archives where he placed a valuable collection of coins that was later expanded by his followers, he began the construction of a picture gallery and founded a collection of natural and artistic objects. He also created an impressive office, renovated an abbey building, and had a prelature built with the offices. His biggest work is the construction of today\'s library (1753 - 1755), furnished with bookcases in Rococo style and decorated with frescos. Mickl managed to bring together all significant works that had been published up to his time. He himself also wrote, and his manuscripts contain many volumes from theology, philosophy, law and poetry although just a few of them were published. Many coloured pictures that we find in his books are evidence of Mickl´s artistic talent. The largest of his books is the German Encyclopaedia of all theological and secular sciences in 35 volumes with a number of bibliographical references. Abbot Quirin Mickl died in poor health in 1767 at 56 years of age.

(jh)