Laura Elisabeth Rosa Gutknecht (1885–1959) was a German-born Swiss

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. In 1918, together with Elise Pfister, she was one of the first two women to graduate in theology. The same year, both were ordained as pastors of the Reformed Church of Zürich. They are considered to be the first women in Europe to be ordained as pastors.

Biography

Born in

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...

, Germany, on 18 May 1885, Laura Elisabeth Rosa Gutknecht was brought up in

Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), ...

before she studied to become a teacher in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

. After working as a teacher for eight years, she studied theology at the

University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

, graduating in 1918. Together with her friend Elise Pfister, she was ordained the same year. Appointed as assistant pastors at Zurich's

Grossmünster The Grossmünster (; "great Minster (church), minster") is a Romanesque-style Swiss Reformed Church, Protestant church in Zürich, Switzerland. It is one of the four major churches in the city (the others being the Fraumünster, Predigerkirche Zür ...

, the two were principally involved in social work. Although the church and their male colleagues would have liked them to become vicars of their own parishes, as they did not have the right to vote, in 1920 the governmental authorities concluded that women could not be assigned to publicly funded administrative positions such as pastors in charge of their own parishes. They therefore remained as assistants for the remainder of their careers. In 1939, Gutknecht founded and was the first president of the Swiss Association of Female Theologians. Rosa Gutknecht retired from her Grossmünster position in 1953. She died in Zürich on 21 November 1959.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gutknecht, Rosa 1885 births 1959 deaths Clergy from Zürich People from Chur People from Ludwigshafen Ordination of women in Christianity Swiss Calvinist and Reformed ministers Women Christian clergy University of Zurich alumni