The Theresian Institution of Noble Ladies, officially the Imperial and Royal Theresian Stift for Noble Ladies in the Castle of Prague, was a Catholic monastic chapter of secular canonesses in

Hradčany Hradčany (; german: Hradschin), the Castle District, is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle. The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its history ...

that admitted women from impoverished noble families from 1753 until 1918.

History

The Theresian

Stift The term (; nl, sticht) is derived from the verb (to donate) and originally meant 'a donation'. Such donations usually comprised earning assets, originally landed estates with serfs defraying dues (originally often in kind) or with vassal tenan ...

was founded in 1755 by Empress Maria Theresa in order to serve as a religious order for impoverished noblewomen. The Institute officially opened in 1755 and was housed in

Prague Castle Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for king ...

, enrolling thirty unmarried young women from Austrian and Hungarian aristocratic families who were financially strained. The noblewomen lived as secular canonesses and were not required to take vows of celibacy and were allowed to leave the chapter in order to marry. The Institution was run by a

Princess-Abbess A prince-abbot (german: Fürstabt) is a title for a clergy, cleric who is a Prince of the Church (like a Prince-bishop), in the sense of an ''ex officio'' temporal lord of a feudalism, feudal entity, usually a Imperial State, State of the Holy R ...

, who was selected by the Emperor. Each Princess-Abbess was, by birth, an Austrian archduchess from the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa, Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively List ...

. With the closing of the neighbouring St. George's Abbey in 1782, the Princess-Abbess of the Theresian Institution inherited the privilege of crowning the Queens of Bohemia. Other administrative roles within the Institution included a deaconess, a sub-deaconess, and two canoness assistants. The Institution closed in 1919 after the fall of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and the creation of the Republic of Czechoslovakia.

Princess-Abbesses

Notable Princess-Abbesses of the Institution include: * Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1766–1789) * Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1791–1800) * Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1834–1835) *

Archduchess Hermine of Austria Archduchess Hermine of Austria (Hermine Amalie Marie; 14 September 1817 – 13 February 1842) was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Biography Hermine was the daughter of Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary and Princess Hermine of A ...

(1837–1842) *

Archduchess Maria Karoline of Austria Archduchess Maria Karoline of Austria (Maria Karoline Luise Christine, Erzherzogin von Österreich; 10 September 1825 – 17 July 1915) was an Archduchess of Austria. Life Archduchess Maria Karoline was born in Vienna as the second daughter ...

(1844–1852) *

Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

(1875–1879) * Archduchess Maria Antonietta of Austria (1881–1883) *

Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria (Margarete Sophie Marie Annunciata Theresia Caroline Luise Josephe Johanna; 13 May 1870 – 24 August 1902) was a member of the House of Habsburg and an Archduchess of Austria by birth. She was married t ...

(1886–1893) *

Archduchess Karoline Marie of Austria , image = 1869 Karoline.jpg , caption = , spouse = Prince August Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , issue = Prince AugustPrincess KlementinePrincess Maria Karoline Prince Rainer Prince Philipp Princess TheresiaPrincess ...

(1893–1894) *

Archduchess Maria Annunciata of Austria Archduchess Maria Annunciata of Austria (31 July 1876 – 8 April 1961) was a daughter of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and his third wife, Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal. She was Princess-Abbess of the Theresian Royal and Imperial Lad ...

(1894–1919)

Notable alumnae

* Baroness Mary von Vetsera (1871–1889), mistress of

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria en, Rudolph Francis Charles Joseph , caption = Rudolf in 1887 , spouse = , issue = Elisabeth Marie, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Franz Joseph I of Austria , mother ...

References

{{Authority control Defunct girls' schools Girls boarding schools Girls' schools in Europe Monasteries of secular canonesses Prague Castle