Cyriakus Schneegass (german: Schneegaß; la, Snegassius, 5 October 1546 – 23 October 1597) was a German
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
pastor, hymn writer, composer and music theorist.
Life
Schneegass was born in 1546 in the village of
Bufleben
Bufleben is a village and a former municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the municipality Nessetal.
Notable people
*Cyriakus Schneegass Cyriakus Schneegass (german: Schneegaß; la, Sne ...
, north of
Gotha
Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
. He came from a peasant family and experienced a youth shaped by military turmoil during the
Smalcaldic War, with the siege of Gotha by the Elector
Augustus of Saxony
Augustus (31 July 152611 February 1586) was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.
First years
Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third (but second surviving) son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He con ...
. He attended Handelsschule (trade school) in Gotha and studied at the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
from 1565, mainly with
Cyriacus Lindemann.
Evidence of his life can be found again in 1573, when he took his first ministry as the fifth Protestant pastor at St. Blasius Church in
Friedrichroda
Friedrichroda () is a town in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the north foot of the Thuringian Forest, 21 km by rail southwest of the town of Gotha. It is surrounded by fir-clad hills and possesses numerous han ...
. At the same time he held the post of superintendent of the Weimar adjuncts. He married Dorothea Lindemann,
the only daughter of his teacher who had died in 1568. The couple had eight daughters, four of whom are mentioned by name in the preface to his Spiritual songs and hymns, and two sons who died early.
His wife, Dorothea, née Lindemann, was a granddaughter of the Superintendent of Gotha,