The library of Veszprém episcopate owns Károly Hornig’s ornamental album donated to the bishop by the priests of the Veszprém diocese on the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
Károly Hornig was born in Buda on 10 August 1840. He passed the final exam in the archiepiscopal grammar school in Nagyszombat, at this time he was already student priest of the Esztergom archdiocese. He completed his theological studies in the central seminary in Pest and continued in the Augustineum in Vienna after his ordination. He got his doctor of theology degree in 1869. He was a teacher of New Testament at the theological faculty of the Pest university, later he was the dean of the faculty. He received the title of papal chamberlain in 1874. Primate János Simor appointed him Esztergom prebendary and employed him as office leader. He also worked as the councillor of the Ministry of Religion and Public Education. He was ordained Veszprém bishop on 8 September 1888. He was promoted to a cardinal by pope Pius X in 1912. He functioned as bishop until his death in 1917.
Besides his church governmental tasks and a number of public life functions he also pursued literary activities. He was a well-known and revered figure of the country’s cultural life. As a notable book collector, he established a valuable private library, which was integrated into the Veszprém Episcopal Library. He was also solicitous about the promotion of community culture. He deemed extraordinarily important that through the operation of reading circles and lending libraries a broader public can get access to cultural values. Apart from the libraries of his city of seat, he helped many Hungarian and foreign libraries with book donations. He is known as a generous supporter of the new Vatican library, the so called Biblioteca di Consultazione.
Károly Hornig was celebrated with a multiple day celebration on the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. The presents of the priests were handed over before the ceremonial dinner on 8 September 1913. The jubilee album was made in bookbinder Endre Pósa’s workshop in Veszprém. The book consists of pages decorated with golden printed, rounded pages. After the dedication on the title page, the pastor is greeted with the hymn “Oh nap, egy negyedszázad foglalatja”. The pages are composed with photos fitted in oval, gold edged matboard. The photographs show the priests of the Veszprém diocese. The priests of the episcopal assembly, the parish priests and chaplains serving in the deaneries, the retired pastors of the diocese and the priests serving abroad were also photographed.
The deep red, leather covered album is decorated with metal fittings. The flyleaves are covered with silk, the cover plates are kept together with a copper buckle. Apart from the album, an artistic crosier was also made for Károly Hornig. The pastor thanked these wonderful presents in a circular letter. He established the Baron Károly Hornig scholarship fund in memory of the 25th anniversary of the pastor of Veszprém cathedral chapter. According to the objectives of the foundation, the annual interests of the twenty-five thousand crown capital had to be spent on the education of two poor Roman Catholic young people.