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Count Rihard Ursini von Blagay (17 August 1786 – 14 March 1858) was an aristocrat, Slovene botanist and patron of the arts.

Early life

Rihard was born into and old

aristocratic family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

, collateral branch of the medieval

House of Babonić A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, which, at that time, was already interrogated into the

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility (german: österreichischer Adel) is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. The nobles are still part of Austrian society today, but they no longer retain any specific privi ...

. He was the second son of Count Joseph Franz

Ursini von Blagay The Blagaj family or Blagay were a Croatian noble family, hereditary counts ( hr, knezovi Blagajski) that were a cadet branch of the medieval Babonić family, and named after their estate of Blagaj on the Sana in the 14th century. Over the cour ...

(1759-1831) and his first wife, Countess Maria von Auersperg (1764-1787).

Biography

He organized numerous cultural gatherings of Slovene en-lighteners at his estate, Polhov Gradec Castle, which he acquired through the marriage to the noble Billichgrätz family. At the site of the old castle an octagonal

gloriette A gloriette (from the 12th-century French ''gloire'' meaning "little room") is a building in a garden erected on a site that is elevated with respect to the surroundings. The structural execution and shape can vary greatly, often in the form ...

was later built, which his wife, Countess Antonia turned into a chapel in 1853, adding 14 shrines for the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imita ...

to it to create a

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early me ...

. As one of the first

Župan Župan is a noble and administrative title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 21st century. It was (and in Croatia still is) the leader of the administrative unit župa (or zhupa, županij ...

s of the Ljubljana district, Richard operated in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

. He also collected Slovene plant species for the naturalist

Heinrich Freyer Heinrich Freyer (Slovenized: ''Henrik Freyer''; July 8, 1802 – August 21, 1866) was a Carniolan Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Altho ...

Personal life

In 1808 he married his third cousin, Baroness Antonia von Billichgrätz zu Baumkircherthurm und Hilzenegkh (1792-1861), an heiress of Billichgrätz family and Polhov Gradec castle. She was the younger daughter of Baron Joseph Anton von Billichgrätz zu Baumkircherthurm und Hilzenegkh (1748-1808) and his wife, Countess Maria Josefa von Gallenberg (1760-1813). The marriage remained childless.

References

Botanists 1858 deaths 1786 births Naturalists from the Austrian Empire {{Slovenia-scientist-stub

Early life

Biography

Personal life

See also

References