Anton Mahnič

• Type — Bishop • Name — Anton Mahnič • Title — Bishop of Krk • Native Name — Antun Mahnić • Church — Catholic Church • Diocese — Diocese of Krk • Term — 3 December 1896 – December 1920 • Predecessor — Andrija Marija Šterk • Successor — Josip Srebrnič • Ordination — 30 August 1874 • Consecration — 7 February 1897 • Consecrated By — Alojz Matija Zorn • Born — 14 September 1850 • Birthplace — Kobdilj, Austrian Littoral, Austrian Empire • Died — 30 December 1920 • Place of death — Zagreb, Zagreb County, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes

Mahnič was born in Kobdilj near Štanjel in the Austrian County of Gorizia and Gradisca (in today's Slovenia). He finished theological studies in Vienna and then worked as a priest and a teacher in Gorizia. During this period, he became actively involved in the Slovene political life, criticising the liberal Catholic current within the Slovene national movement. In 1896, he became Bishop of Krk (Croatia). In his bishopric he initiated many religious societies and activities, and started Catholic publishing, including a magazine for Christian philosophy called Hrvatska straža. He founded Catholic student magazines and societies all over the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. He wrote many articles and works in the theological, philosophical, esthetical and political area. Later Mahnić initiated a Pius society, with its weekly newspaper Jutro. These groups of Catholic intellectuals, gathered around these papers, joined in the Croatian Catholic movement) before the First World War. After the war, Mahnić was persecuted after the territory was annexed by Italy, and he went to Zagreb, where he died. Mahnić's main goal was defending and promoting Catholic faith and its moral principles in Croatian public and social life, which were endangered by liberalization and secularization. Also important issue for him was spiritual and intellectual education of the youth.

Anton Mahnič is recorded as poet, philosopher, catholic priest, writer and critic.