The Reverend Gabriel Gruber SJ | |
|---|---|
| Superior General for Russia | |
 | |
| Installed | 1802 |
| Term ended | 7 April 1805 |
| Predecessor | Franciszek Kareu |
| Successor | Tadeusz Brzozowski |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1766 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gabriel Erhard Jan Nepomucen Gruber 4 May 1740 |
| Died | 7 April 1805 (aged 64) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Buried | Russia |
| Nationality | Carniolan, Slovenian, Austrian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Residence | Austria, Ljubljana, Polotsk, Saint Petersburg |
| Education | Jesuit formation, engineering, Physics, agriculture, art |
| Alma mater | Vienna, Graz, Trnava |
Gabriel Gruber, SJ (4 May 1740 – 7 April 1805) was an Austrian Jesuit and polymath of Slovenian descent.[1] Aside from his classical formation for the priesthood, his interests ranged across agriculture, architecture, astronomy, engineering, hydrology, physics, chemistry and art.
Between 1773 and 1784 he was the engineer at the court of Emperor Joseph II. Having moved to Russia, where Vatican law did not apply, he was welcomed at the Court of Catherine the Great as an engineer and saw there an opportunity to resume his ministerial career among his exiled Jesuit brethren. He became the second Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia during the Holy See's suppression of the Society in Europe and its colonies and manifested great political skill in safeguarding the survival of the Jesuit order.[2][3]
- ^ Inglot, Marek (2001). "Jezuita w otoczeniu carskim. Ojciec Gabriel Gruber i car Paweł I". In Pająk, Kazimierz; Załubski, Piotr (eds.). U schyłku tysiąclecia. Księga pamiątkowa z okazji sześćdziesięciolecia urodzin Profesora Marcelego Kosmana (in Polish). Poznań: Wydawnictwo Forum Naukowe. p. 107.
- ^ Inglot, M., La Compagnia di Gesù nel Impero Russo (1772-1820), Rome, 1997.(in Italian)
- ^ Pierling, P., G. Gruber et les jésuites réfugiés en Russie, Meudon, 1999. (in French)