GÖRRES-GESELLSCHAFT. — A German Catholic society founded in the centenary of the birth of Görres (25 Jan. 1876) in Coblenz to promote scholarly research in various fields of human knowledge.
The G. G. zur Pflege der Wissenschaft im katholischen Deutschland comprises eight sections: history; legal and political sciences; social and economic sciences; philosophy; natural sciences; antiquities; art; literature. Notable among its publications are the historical periodical Historisches Jahrbuch, Oriens Christianus, the collection of acts of the Council of Trent, and the Quellen zur Geschichte der päpstlichen Hof- und Finanzverwaltung im 14. Jahrhundert; also the Staatslexikon (5 vols.). Since 1888 there has existed in Rome the Historical Institute of the G. G., which has greatly facilitated research by German scholars in the Vatican Archives. Presidents of the G. G. have included G. von Hertling, H. von Grauert, and H. Finke. During the National Socialist regime the G. G. was dissolved in 1941 and its property confiscated. It was reconstituted in 1948.