Gufidaun (Bolzano-Bozen, Italy)
Gufidaun (Gudon), a village in Tyrol, Austria (now Bolzano-Bozen, Italy), near Klausen, plays an important role in early Anabaptist history. Anabaptist missionaries came here as early as 1527. In the homes of Gufidaun and in the vicinity the shepherd Wolfgang preached, called by the clerk of Gufidaun. The miners of Klausen requested him not to hesitate to do so. Indeed, he preached wherever a congregation requested it.
In Gufidaun Georg Blaurock was seized and burned at the stake not far from Klausen, 6 September 1529. In 1528-1529 Jörg Zaunring, called Klesinger, Michel Kürschner, and other missionaries worked. Here Kürschner was executed by burning at the stake. In 1529 Georg von Firmian, the owner of the benefice of Gufidaun, was rebuked by the government because his clerk, Hans Treu, gave support to fugitive Anabaptists. Four years later seven brethren were executed at Gufidaun. Here the brethren also took counsel as to how they could safely aid their members to escape to Moravia, for "in the entire land they had no place to live." In July a group with 25 children started out, and although the roads were guarded by the police of Schwaz and Rattenberg, they arrived safely. The Hutterite Geschicht-Buch lists 19 persons who sealed their faith with their blood in Gufidaun.
A special order was given the clerk there on 5 November 1535 to watch for the leaders, especially for Jakob Hutter, who were now expelled from Moravia. Hutter was actually seized in Klausen and was to be taken to Gufidaun, but because the prisons there were not safe enough he was transferred to Brandzoll. Hutter's wife was kept in Gufidaun to be converted from her error, but with the aid of friends she escaped from the castle tower.
After Hutter's death there were still some Anabaptists in Gufidaun; in 1540 some are reported from Klausen. In October 1540 there is mention of an Anabaptist woman, who, however, joined them only out of ignorance. Four years later 13 others joined them. Gufidaun was the home of Hans Mändl, one of the most outstanding Anabaptists, not only of Tyrol, but of his era. In 1553 Amabaptists were again reported there. Then the movement in Gufidaun apparently died out.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 197.
Loserth, Johann. Der Anabaptismus in Tirol. Vienna: F. Tempsky, 1892.
Wolkan, Rudolf. Geschicht-Buch der Hutterischen Brüder. Macleod, AB, and Vienna, 1923: 41, 54, 75, 183.
| Author(s) | Johann Loserth |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Loserth, Johann. "Gufidaun (Bolzano-Bozen, Italy)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gufidaun_(Bolzano-Bozen,_Italy)&oldid=145356.
APA style
Loserth, Johann. (1956). Gufidaun (Bolzano-Bozen, Italy). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gufidaun_(Bolzano-Bozen,_Italy)&oldid=145356.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 608-609. All rights reserved.
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