Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/806

 REICHENSBERGER

724

REIFFENSTUEL

(1858), and championed religious freedom at numer- ous other gatherings.

He was an outspoken friend of art and praised Gotliic in his wTitings. He was "not a real his- torian or archseologist, nor a philosopher in the domain of art, but chiefly a practical apostle for the revival of a pure, German art incorporating Christian ideas" (Pastor). Until the end of his life he promoted the completion of the Cologne Cathedral, by word and pen, and founded (1841) at Coblenz the first Dom- bauvcrein (cathedral building society). The fresh, cheerful, amiable, and kindly personality of this versatile man exercised a powerful influence. Op- posed to extreme theories, he maintained a temperate attitude in both secular and ecclesia-stical politics. A list of his numerous hterary productions covers twenty-five printed pages (Pastor, II, -149), and con- tains mainlj' occasional WTitings which appeared in newspapers and magazines. Most of his separately published works were concerned with art, history, and criticism: "Christliche germanische Baukunst" (184,5) ; " Fingerzeige auf dem Gebiete der kirchlichen Kun.st" (1854); "VermischteSchriftenUberkirchliche Kunst" (1856); "Eine kurze Rede und eine lange Vorrede iiber kunst" (1863); works on Merian, G. G. Ungewitter, Pugin, etc. Of importance also were his political wTitings, "Die Wahlen zum Hause der Abgeordneten " (18.58) the often reprinted "BUchlein Phrasen und Schlagworter " (1862), etc., and his "E.-isay iiber Shakespere" (1871). His juridical studies are most poorly represented.

P,\STOH, A. Reichensberger, sein Leben u. sein Wirken auf dem Gebiete der Politik, der Kunst u. der Wissenschaft, Mit Benuizung seines ungedrUckten Nachlasses (2 vols., Freiburg. 1899) ; Kraus in Munchener Allgem. Zeitung (1900); Gorres in the Slaals- lexicon. HERMANN CaRDAUNS.

Reichensberger, Peter, jurist and parliamen- tarian, b. at Coblenz, 28 May, 1810; d. at Berlin, 31 December, 1892. He studied at Bonn and Heidel- berg, and was successively counsellor at Coblenz (184.3), of the court of appeal at Cologne (1850), and of the supreme court of Berlin (1859) until its dis- solution (1879). From 1848 he was active as a parliamentarian in the Prussian Diet, the Erfurt Volkshaus, the Prussian second chamber (1849), the constituent Xorth-German Reichstag (1857), the Customs' Parliament (1868), and the German Reichstag, representing in the last-mentioned the same district from 1871 to his death. From the first we find him labouring in close connexion ^sith his elder brother August, and, like the latter, he defended the Rhenish system of laws against the minister von Kamptz ("Oeffentlichkeit, Miindlichkeit und Schwur- gerichte", 1834). Like his brother he collaborated with the author in de Failly's much-discussed book (De la Prusse, 1842), and they jointly drew up a peti- tion for electoral reform (1847). In the same year was pubUshed one of his best works: "Die Agrar- frage aus dem Gesichtspunkt der Nationalokonomie, der Politik und des Rechts". In 1858, when a col- lection of their parliamentary speeches appeared, the brothers published their political programme in the pamphlet "Die Wahlen zum preussischen Abgeord- netenhause", and two years later "Dcutschlands nachste Aufgaben fiir die Zukunft". Shoulder to shoulder the two Dioscuri toiled in the defence of constitutional monarchy against Radicalism and of religious autonomy against bureaucratic enslave- ment. Less versatile than his brother, Peter sur- passed him in juristic keenness and intellectual depth. In special m-itings he combatted the income tax (1850), the abolition of the usury laws (1860), and the corn tax (1.887). At the request of the minis- try of justice he drafted a mortgage law flS51). Five years later he wrote on free agricultural laws, in 1872 on the relation between Church and State, in 1876 on the Kulturkampf and peace between

Church and State. In 1882 appeared his experiences of an old parliamentarian in the revolutionarj- year 1848. Though co-founder and leader of the Centre, he followed in many individual questions his own views, e. g. in the extension of the socialist law and in the question of the septennate.

G6RRES in Staatsleiikon der Gdrresgesellschaft (3rd ed., 1911).

Hermann C.vrdadns.

Reifenstein, a former Cistercian abbey in Eichs- feld, foimded on 1 August, 1162, by Count Ernst of Tonna. It was first called Albolderode and be- longed to the electorate of Mainz. The monks, who came from the monastery of Volkerode near Miilil- hausen, displayed a brisk economic activity, and in the thirteenth century acquired about fifty estates in the neighbourhood. Little is known of the domes- tic life of the abbey, even the sequence of the abbots being uncertain. A monk, Heinrich Pfeifer, left Reifenstein in 1521, became a Lutheran, preached rebellion in his native town Miihlhausen, shared the leadership with Thomas Miinzer in the Thuringian Peasants' War, and in May, 1525, reduced Reifen- stein to ashes. After the battle of Frankenhausen Pfeifer was seized near Eisenach and executed; he died impenitent. In 1524 only six monks were left in Reifenstein, which underwent a complete decline; in 1539 one remained, and the monastery was soon deserted. In 1575 there was a single monk, and in 1579, five or six, but they led so lawless a life that Reifenstein, according to a contemporary report, resembled a robbers' cave. The church was restored in 1582. The exemplary Abbot Philipp Busse (1589- 1639) re-established discipline and order. During the Thirty Years' War the monastery was pillaged seven times and almost reduced to ashes, Abbot Philipp was carried off as a prisoner, and six or seven monks were murdered. The other monks sought shelter in caves, and begged bread from the peasants. The revival of the monastery was mainlv due to the learned Abbot Wilhelm Streit (1690-l"721). In 1738 it had twenty-four members, and sur\'ived the distress of the Seven Years' War. In 1802 the abbey fell to Prussia, was abolished on 2 March, 1803, and became a royal domain. The last abbot was Antonius Loffler (d. 1823). At present, agriculture and a school of domestic science for young women are carried on at Reifenstein. The imposing church, built in 1743, is used as a shed.

Wolf, Politische Gesch. des Eichsfeldes (Gottingen, 1793), passim; Idem. Eichsfeldische Kirchengesch. (Gottingen, 1816), passim; Duval, Das Eichsfeld (.Sondershausen, 1845), 19-120: Sturzer, Reifenstein im Eichsfelde in Cistercienser-Chronik, VIII (Bregenz. 1896), 1-10. 33-43, 65-74, 102-8; Schxeiderwirth, Das einstige Cislercienserkloster Reifenstein (Heiligenstadt, 1902); KsiEB, Gesch. der Reformation u. Gegenref. auf dem Eichsfelde (2nd ed., Heiligenstadt, 1909), passim.

Klemens Loffler.

ReifEenstuel, Joh.\xn Georg, in religion Ana- CLETiTs, theologian and canonist; b. at Kaltenbrunn (Tegernsee) 2 July, 1641; d. at Freising, 5 Oct., 1703. He entered the Franciscan (Reformed) Order in the Province of Bavaria, 3 Nov., 1658, and taught philosophy at Freising (1665), Landshut (1667-68), and Munich. He taught theology at Munich from 1671 till 1680, when he became guardian of the con- vent of Weilheim (1680-83). Meanwhile he had been chosen (1677) definitor of his province. In 1683 he began to teach canon law at Freising to the mem- bers of his order and the seminarians of that town. Ill-health obliged him to discontinue this teaching. In 1692 the Bishop of Freising appointed him direc- tor of the episcopal educational establishments of the town, besides which he filled offices in liis order. He also devoted himself to the organization and Ciitaloguing of the episcopal and capitular library of Freising. It would be hard to praise unduly his learning, virtue, and regularity in his religious life; he enjoyed the confidence of everyone. He