VORTHEY, GIOVANNI BATTISTA. - Augustinian, in the world Andrea, b. at Brünn on 10 Aug. 1794, d. there on 15 May 1876.
Having entered the Order in 1811, and become a priest in 1817, he was assigned at once to the pastoral ministry and in 1821 was appointed chaplain of the Spielberg prison and of the women's hospital of St. Elizabeth. For the space of one year - from the spring of 1823 to Apr. 1824 - he was charged with spiritually assisting the Italian political prisoners confined in the fortress, and chapter 78 of My Prisons is entirely devoted to the gentleness, wisdom, tact and discretion of the worthy Augustinian, who - in order better to fulfill his office - wished to learn the Italian language. He comforted the final hours of Antonio Oroboni and formed a particular friendship with Silvio Pellico. It is known from the Saluzzese - and the report is confirmed by the official Habsburg documents - that he used to converse at length and affectionately with the prisoners and gave them numerous ascetical books to read: alarmed by this, the Austrian authorities soon relieved him of his charitable assignment and unfortunately replaced him with Paulowich (v.), to the keen regret of the Italian detainees. He was subsequently parish priest at Küce, at Vronov and then at Brünn, prior of his convent, counselor of the episcopal Curia, professor and episcopal commissioner for the teaching of religion in the city's schools. A member of the local Society of National History and awarded the Austrian Gold Cross with Crown for his cultural and religious merits, V., as prior of the Augustinian convent of Brünn, was the most valuable collaborator of his abbot, the biologist Fr. Giovanni Gregorio Mendel.
VORAU
Facade of the abbey church, remodeled in 1660. The clock tower is Romanesque, with Gothic additions; the other tower dates from 1527.
Bibliography3 works
Renzo U. Montini