BISHOP JURAJ DOBRILA IN THE AUSTRIAN NEWSPAPERS

U radu se analizira pisanje utjecajnih glasila Habsburške Monarhije o djelovanju biskupa Jurja Dobrile, uz oslonac na relevantnu znanstvenu literaturu i korisne arhivske izvore. Dijelovi su tematski razvrstani, uz osvrt na biskupov parlamentarni rad u bečkome Carevinskom vijeću, istarske društvene i nacionalne odnose te položaj Katoličke crkve u Habsburškoj Monarhiji sredinom devetnaestog stoljeća prikazani su i najvažniji plodovi Dobrilina rada. Ukazano je na često prisutnu razliku u pristupu liberalnih i konzervativnih glasila, koja ipak u biti ne mijenja povijesnu predodžbu o biskupovoj važnosti za istarsku, ali i nacionalnu povijest. Naglašena je važnost šireg konteksta pri potpunijem sagledavanju povijesnih okolnosti.Bishop Juraj Dobrila influenced modern history and culture of the Istrian peninsula in many ways, and this fact was recognized already by many of his contemporaries. He was the central figure of the Croatian national movement in Istria, and as such Dobrila was topic of many historiographical studies, which predominately investigated him in a regional and national context. However, his role within the Habsburg Empire is rather poorly analyzed. Therefore, it seems that the leading Austrian newspapers of that time, in which there are reports about bishop Dobrila, can be used as a useful source. Namely, though his activities are mostly described and noted in short reports and sometimes even in some larger texts, there are also some articles in which his activities were analyzed in detail. Bishop Dobrila drew attention to himself already at the beginning of 1860s, when he acted as representative of Istria at the Imperial Council. During this time liberal press, such as Die Presse or Neue Freie Presse, followed his actions regarding defense of the Concordat, as well as concerning his speeches about the population of Istria. Even after his role at the Imperial Council has ended, these newspapers continued to report about Dobrila’s comments on social and inter-national relations in Istria. Newspapers repeatedly informed about Dobrila’s efforts regarding improvement in the bishoprics under his control, and conservative newspapers Das Vaterland favored bishop Dobrila and his work. The author of this article has focused particularly on Dobrila’s efforts regarding the fusion of the Diocese of Poreč and Pula with the Diocese of Trieste and Koper. By the same token, the author analyzes Dobrila’s acrtivities concerning foundation of seminary in Pazin. This last effort was not solely connected with the religious matters, since it had broader national importance, because this seminary enabled Slavic population in Istria to gain a decent education without Italian cultural influence. Such education enabled students to become bearers of the Croatian and Slovenian national emancipation in Istria. Bishop’s opponents, and they were representatives of Italian gentry that ruled this province at an autonomous level, soon realized what kind of threat this seminary could develop into concerning their social and political position. Therefore, they organized numerous petitions against the bishop’s intent. Still, these petitions did not gain sufficient imperial and ecclesiastical support. On the other hand, while the state authorities from time to time approved and sometimes disapproved Dobrila’s intentions – depending on their beliefs to what extent and how these Dobrila’s actions will affect a fragile state coherence during turbulent times of international and worldview’s clashes, the Catholic Church was in a hectic search for a right perspective and posture in the world that was in a swift change. Consequently, bishop Dobrila in his attempts encountered many obstacles, not on the provincial level, but he also had to have in mind all (sometimes conflicting) interests of the State and the Church. He had to be completely aware that wide-ranging circumstances within the Habsburg Empire and also within the Church could have more or less direct impact on his provincial situation in Istria. Therefore, analyzed texts from the Austrian newspapers reveal a useful context, and thisc should incite further investigation of the provincial and national history in the broader perspective