Anton Joseph Johann Maria de Waal (5 May 1837 – 23 February 1917) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Christian archeologist and

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church historian. He established the Collegio Teutonico del Campo Santo and carried out numerous archeological excavations in Rome.

Life

De Waal was born in

Emmerich am Rhein Emmerich am Rhein (, ; Low Rhenish and ) is a city and municipality in the northwest of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city has a harbour and a quay at the Rhine. In terms of local government organization, it is a mediu ...

, then in the

Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg The Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg () was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1822. Jülich-Cleves-Berg was established in 1815 from part restored and part newly annexed lands by the Kingdom of Prussia from France's Grand Duchy of Berg. Jülich- ...

in the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, on 5 May 1837, As a young man, he studied theology at the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood on 11 October 1862 by Bishop Johann Georg Müller of the Diocese of Münster. He then taught at the Collegium Augustinianum Gaesdonck, a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

close to the city of

Goch Goch (; archaic spelling: Gog) is a town in the Kleve (district), Kleve district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the border with the Netherlands, south of Kleve and southeast of Nijmegen. History Goch is at least 750 years old: th ...

. On 19 July 1868, De Waal became chaplain of the German

National church A national church is a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in a draft discussing ...

Santa Maria dell'Anima Santa Maria dell'Anima () is a church in central Rome, Italy, just west of the Piazza Navona and near the Santa Maria della Pace church. It was founded during the course of the 14th century by Dutch merchants, who at that time belonged to the Ho ...

in Rome. He received his Doctorate in Theology on 19 February 1869. During the siege and conquest of Rome by army of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

in 1870, he volunteered as chaplain of the Papal troops. He became Vice-Rector in 1872 and then Rector in 1873 of the

Collegio Teutonico The Collegio Teutonico (German College), historically often referred to by its Latin name Collegium Germanicum, is one of the Roman Colleges, Pontifical Colleges of Rome. The German College is the Pontifical College established for future ecclesi ...

in the Vatican. In 1875, he was appointed secret chamberlain of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

. On 23 June 1896 Anton de Waal became

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

to the Pontifical House and on 30 July 1900 Protonotary apostolic. He was appointed on 2 November 1904 Commissioner of the pastoral care of all Germans in Italy. de Waall was the recipient of the Pontifical Order of Merit "

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. History The medal was established by Leo XII ...

" in gold and several

chivalric order An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and pai ...

Order of the Crown (Prussia) The Royal Order of the Crown () was a Prussian order of chivalry. Instituted in 1861 as an honour equal in rank to the Order of the Red Eagle, membership could only be conferred upon commissioned officers (or civilians of approximately equival ...

2d class, Order of the Red Eagle (Prussia) 2d class, Bavarian Order of Merit of St. Michael 2d class, Commander's Cross Class I of the

Albert Order The Albert Order () was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, s ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

and Commander's Cross and Commander's star of the Imperial Austrian Franz Joseph Order. He died in Rome on 23 February 1917 and was buried in the

Teutonic Cemetery The Teutonic Cemetery (, "Camposanto of the Teutons and the Flemish") is a burial site in Rome adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica. Burial is reserved for members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of the German Cemetery, which owns the cemetery. It i ...

, reserved to German nationals serving the Catholic Church in Rome, located next to the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà in Camposanto dei Teutonici.

Work

He devoted his scientific interest principally to

Christian archaeology Biblical archaeology is an academic school and a subset of Biblical studies and Levantine archaeology. Biblical archaeology studies archaeological sites from the Ancient Near East and especially the Holy Land (also known as Land of Israel and ...

, encouraged by

Giovanni Battista de Rossi Giovanni Battista (Carlo) de Rossi (23 February 1822 – 20 September 1894) was an Italian archaeologist, famous even outside his field for rediscovering early Christian catacombs. Life and works Born in Rome, he was the son of Commendatore C ...

. In 1892-93 and again in 1915, de Waal carried out excavations at San Sebastiano Catacombs on the

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: Via Appia) is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, recor ...

. In 1876 de Waal obtained from

permission to change the statutes of ''""'' () to take care of the church of

Santa Maria della Pietà in Camposanto dei Teutonici The Church of Our Lady of Mercy in the Teutonic Cemetery (Latin: ''Sancta Maria Pietatis in Coemeterio Teutonicorum,'' ) is a Roman Catholic church in the rione Borgo (rione of Rome), Borgo of Rome, Italy. It is located on the Via della Sagrestia. ...

and the adjoining cemetery. He founded, in the confraternity house, the Collegio Teutonico del Campo Santo and constituted a library specialised in Christian archeology for which he put together an important collection of early Christian art. In 1887 he founded, in cooperation with the Gorres-Gesellschaft, the journal ''""'' () and became in 1901 co-editor with Carl Anton Baumstark of the journal ''"

Oriens Christianus ''Oriens Christianus'' (English: "Christian East") is an academic journal established in 1901 by Otto Harrassowitz with Asian and oriental studies as the major focus. It was edited by Anton Baumstark (1872-1948). The current editors-in-chief ...

"''. In addition to his academic and pastoral work, de Waal wrote biographies in German of popes of his day (

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

and

Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

) as well as historical narratives and amateur theater pieces.

Gallery

File:Anton de Waal mit Pius X..jpg, Monsignor Anton de Waal (center, next to the pope), in audience to

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

in 1913 with the Deutschen Gesellenverein Rom. File:Anton de Waal auf dem Sterbebett.jpg, Anton de Waal on his funeral

bier A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin, or casket containing a corpse is placed to lie in state or to be carried to its final disposition.''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (American Heritage Publishing Co., In ...

, 24 February 1917. File:Papst Benedikt XV. BiografieJS.jpg, Cover of De Waal's biography of

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

, 1915

List of works

*''Des Apostelfürsten Petrus glorreiche Ruhestätte. Festschrift zum Papstjubiläum Pius IX.'' (1871) *''Die Streiter des heiligen Vaters. Episode aus der jüngsten Geschichte der Eroberung Roms. Schauspiel in 3 Aufzügen.'' (1871) *''Meister Faustgerecht. Schauspiel in 3 Aufzügen.'' (1872) *''Erinnerungen an Rom, zunächst den deutschen Pilgern zu der 30. Jubelfeier unseres heil. Vaters Pius IX. gewidmet''. (1876) *''Erinnerung an die Romfahrt zum Bischofs-Jubiläum unseres heiligen Vaters Pius IX. am 17. Mai 1877''. (1877) *''Unseres heiligen Vaters Papst Leo XIII. Leben''. (1878) *''Die Nationalstiftungen des deutschen Volkes in Rom''. (1880) *''Valeria oder der Triumphzug aus den Katakomben'' (1884) *''Die Katakomben des heiligen Callistus.'' (1886) *''Der Rompilger. Wegweiser zu den wichtigsten Heiligthümern und Sehenswürdigkeiten der ewigen Stadt''. (1888) *''Tim, der Negerknabe. Schauspiel in 3 Aufzügen. Für Gesellenvereine und ähnl. Kreise.'' (1889) *''Katakomben-Bilder. 6 Erzählungen aus den ersten Jahrhunderten der römischen Kirche.'' (1891) *''Die Apostelgruft ad Catacumbas an der Via Appia. Eine historisch-archäologische Untersuchung auf Grund der neuesten Ausgrabungen.'' (1894) *''25 Jahre in Rom von 1870-1895. Ein Bild des katholischen Lebens in der deutschen Colonie.'' (1895) *''Der Campo Santo der Deutschen zu Rom. Geschichte der nationalen Stiftung zum 1100jährigen Jubiläum ihrer Gründung durch Karl den Großen.'' (1896) *''Papst Pius X. Ein Lebensbild des hl. Vaters. Mit einem Rückblick auf die letzten Tage Leos XIII.'' (1903) *''Roma Sacra. Die ewige Stadt in ihren christlichen Denkmälern und Erinnerungen alter und neuer Zeit.'' (1905) *''Konstantin des Großen Kirchenbauten in Rom.'' (1913) *''Der neue Papst. Unser Hl. Vater Benedikt XV.'' (1915)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *Emil Göller: ''Prälat Anton de Waal''. Caritas, Freiburg 1917. *Joseph Massarette: ''Prälat Anton de Waal und der Campo Santo der Deutschen in Rom''. Breer und Thiemann, Hamm 1917. * Peter Rohrbacher: Deutsche Missionsinitiativen am Campo Santo Teutonico: Die Missionsbenediktiner in Deutsch-Ostafrika und die Nordischen Missione

in: Stefan Heid und Karl-Joseph Hummel (Hg.), Päpstlichkeit & Patriotismus. Der Campo Santo Teutonico: Ort der Deutschen in Rom zwischen Risorgimento und Erstem Weltkrieg (1870–1918) (Römische Quartalschrift für Christliche Altertumskunde und Kirchengeschichte) 113, 2 (2018), 613–643 *Arthur de Waal: ''Prälat Dr. Anton de Waal''. Badenia, Karlsruhe 1937. * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waal, Anton de 1837 births 1917 deaths People from Emmerich am Rhein Historians of the Catholic Church Archaeologists from North Rhine-Westphalia 19th-century German Roman Catholic priests Recipients of the Order of Franz Joseph Burials at the Teutonic Cemetery 20th-century German Roman Catholic priests