Hansiz, Markus

Hansiz, Markus a Jesuit and Church historian of Austria, was born April 23, 1683, at Volkermarkt, in Carinthia. He was educated in the Jesuit college at Eberndorf, studied at Vienna, and, after receiving holy orders, was for many years professor of philosophy at Gratz. His ecclesiastical researches made him conceive the idea of producing a Germania Sacra, after the pattern of the Gallia Christiana (Paris, 1656 sq.), Ughelli's Italia Sacra (Venice, 1717 sq.), and Wharton's Anglia Sacra (Lond. 1691), and he undertook a journey to Rome with a view of examining the libraries there. In 1727 he published the first volume of his Germnania Sacra: Metropolis Laureacensis cure Episcopate Pataviensi, Chronologiae Proposita (fol.); the second volume, published in 1729, is entitled, Archiepiscopatus Salisburgensis Chronol. Prop.; the third volume, published in 1754, is styled, De Episcopatu Ratisbonensi Prodromus, sive. Informatio Summaria de Sede Antiqua Ratisbonensi. The freedom with which he treated local legends roused such an opposition to him that he felt compelled to renounce literary labor in 1756, but he encouraged others to continue his work. Hansiz died September 5, 1766, at Vienna, and his book was continued by Ussermann and others. See Backer, Ecrivains de la. Compagnie de Jesus, 2:285; Werner, Gesch. der kathol. Theologie, page 132; Rettberg, Kirchen-Geschichte Deutschlands, 1:2 sq.; Lichtenberger, Encyclop. des Sciences Religieuses, s.v.; Plitt-Herzog, Real-Encyklop. s.v. (B.P.)