Jakob Missia (30 June 1838 – 24 March 1902) was a Slovene prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Gorizia and Gradisca from 1898 until his death. He was made a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
in 1899, the first Slovenian to be given that rank. He was previously
Bishop of Ljubljana
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana (, ) is a Latin ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Slovenia.Mota in the Austrian Empire, now in
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. He was baptized ''Jacobus Missia'' and was the youngest child in his family. An older brother became a priest. After training at the seminary of Lavant (
Maribor
Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
), he studied philosophy and theology in Rome and was ordained a priest there on 30 May 1863. In August 1864 he received his doctorate in theology from the
Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
.
He served as secretary to the bishop of Seckau and then chancellor of that diocese.
Missia was appointed bishop of Ljubljana on 10 November 1884. He received his episcopal consecration on 7 December 1884 in
Graz
Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...
Seckau
Seckau () is a Marktgemeinde in the state of Styria, Austria. It is situated near Knittelfeld. It is known for the Benedictine Seckau Abbey, once the seat of the bishopric Graz-Seckau.
See also
* Diocese of Graz-Seckau
References
Diocese of Se ...
.
Ivan Hribar
Ivan Hribar (19 September 1851 – 18 April 1941) was a Slovene and Yugoslav banker, politician, diplomat and journalist. During the start of the 20th century, he was one of the leaders of the National Progressive Party, and one of the mo ...
, Mayor of Ljubljana and an advocate of Slovenian nationalism, considered Missia pro-German and complained of him to the Vatican.
Upon the nomination of Emperor
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
, Missia was transferred to the Archdiocese of Gorizia and Gradisca, now in Italy, on 24 March 1898.
Pope 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 Ap ...
raised him to the rank of cardinal at the on 18 June 1899, granting the title of
Santo Stefano Rotondo
The Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round on the Caelian Hill (, ) is an ancient basilica and titular church in Rome, Italy. Commonly named Santo Stefano Rotondo, the church is Hungary's "national church" in Rome, dedicated to both Saint Stephen, ...
. Missia was the first Slovenian to become a cardinal.
He died in on 24 March 1902 in Gorizia.
His nephew and protégé Father Francis A. Missia (1884–1955) emigrated to the United States in 1903 and played an important role in 20th-century liturgical music. He was director of music at
Saint Paul Seminary
The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic Church, Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter th ...