Pazmany, Peter

Pazmany, Peter, a Hungarian cardinal, was born Oct. 4, 1570, at Grosswardein. At the age of thirteen he was converted to Romanism, and shortly after entered the Order of the Jesuits, and taught theology at Gritz. In 1607 he returned to his own country, and devoted himself from that time to combating the progress of Protestantism. Joining to an enchanting eloquence the most charming manners, he succeeded well in his efforts. Appointed in 1616 archbishop of Gran, he used his position as primate of the kingdom to elect to the throne, in 1618, Ferdinand, archduke of Austria. In 1632 he returned to Rome, to negotiate the mediation of pope Urban VIII in favor of the establishment of peace. Three years previously he had been appointed cardinal. He died at Presburg March 19,1637. Pazmany spent more than half a million of florins in founding institutions of learning, such as the University of Tyrnau, which, transported to Pesth, still exists; the Pazmaneum, at Vienna, etc. He wrote in Latin and Hungarian; the latter tongue he used to better advantage and with greater purity than any of his contemporaries. Fifteen works of his are polemic and devotional, and among these we will quote, Hodegus, seu dux ad veritatenm, in quo ostenditur vanitas sectarum Catholicae fidei adversantium (Pesth, 1813, 3 vols. fol.): — Conciones in Evangelia omniumn ominicarum (1636 and 1767, fol.). See Horanyi, Memor ice Hungarorum, vol. iii; Podhradezkv, Life of Paznmany, in Hungarian (Buda, 1836).