University biographical mosaics – György Dobronoki

Two hundred and fifty years ago, in 1773, Pope Clement XIII dissolved the Jesuit order, accelerating the process of the university's transfer to the state. Between 1635 and 1773, many distinguished Jesuits of great knowledge taught at our university, leaving a lasting mark on the history of the institution. In January our feature is on the Jesuit teacher György Dobronoki.

György Dobronoki was born in Dobronok (now Dobrovnik, Slovenia) in 1588, entered the Jesuit order in 1610, and was ordained a priest in 1622. He taught in Vienna, Graz, Győr, Sopron, Zagreb, Homonna and Nagyszombat. He is credited with organizing the Jesuit colleges in Győr and Sopron. From 1631, he was the rector of the Nagyszombat college. On May 12, 1635, Péter Pázmány drafted the charter of the Nagyszombat University in the presence of rector György Dobronoki, György Forró and imperial confessor, Nicolas Lamormain. From 1636, Dobronoki was responsible for overseeing university construction. He kept a diary about the first years of the university, which can be found today in the manuscripts of our library, in the Hevenesi collection ( http://hdl.handle.net/10831/22402).

Source/author of illustration:
ELTE University Library and Archives