RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Austria

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Austrian Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Austrian Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Austrian Religious Figures.

1. Pope Gregory V (972 - 999)

With an HPI of 71.21, Pope Gregory V is the most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 72 different languages on wikipedia.

Pope Gregory V (Latin: Gregorius V; c. 972 – 18 February 999), born Bruno of Carinthia, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 3 May 996 to his death. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was made pope by his cousin, Emperor Otto III.

2. Saint Florian (250 - 304)

With an HPI of 67.37, Saint Florian is the 2nd most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Florian (Latin: Florianus; AD 250 – c. 304) was a Christian holy man and the patron saint of chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Poland, the city of Linz, Austria, and Upper Austria, jointly with Leopold III, Margrave of Austria.

3. Leopold III, Margrave of Austria (1073 - 1136)

With an HPI of 63.16, Leopold III, Margrave of Austria is the 3rd most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Leopold III (German: Luitpold, Latin: Leupoldus, 1073 – 15 November 1136), known as Leopold the Good, was the Margrave of Austria from 1095 to his death in 1136. He was a member of the House of Babenberg. He was canonized on 6 January 1485 and became the patron saint of Austria, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Vienna. His feast day is 15 November.

4. Alois Hudal (1885 - 1963)

With an HPI of 58.46, Alois Hudal is the 4th most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Alois Karl Hudal (also known as Luigi Hudal; 31 May 1885 – 13 May 1963) was an Austrian bishop of the Catholic Church, based in Rome. For thirty years, he was the head of the Austrian-German congregation of Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome and, until 1937, an influential representative of the Catholic Church in Austria. In his 1937 book, The Foundations of National Socialism, Hudal praised Adolf Hitler, and his policies and indirectly attacked Vatican policies. After World War II, Hudal helped establish the ratlines, which allowed prominent Nazi German and other European former Axis officers and political leaders, among them accused war criminals, to escape Allied trials and denazification.

5. Adam Rainer (1899 - 1950)

With an HPI of 58.37, Adam Rainer is the 5th most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Adam Rainer (1899 – 4 March 1950) was an Austro-Hungarian man. He is the only person in recorded history to have been both a dwarf and a giant. He is believed to have had acromegaly.

6. Franz Jägerstätter (1907 - 1943)

With an HPI of 58.32, Franz Jägerstätter is the 6th most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Franz Jägerstätter, (also spelled Jaegerstaetter in English; born Franz Huber, 20 May 1907 – 9 August 1943) was an Austrian farmer and conscientious objector during World War II. Jägerstätter was sentenced to death and executed for his refusal to fight for Nazi Germany. He is venerated as a martyr and has been beatified by the Catholic Church.

7. Charles of Austria, Bishop of Wroclaw (1590 - 1624)

With an HPI of 56.86, Charles of Austria, Bishop of Wroclaw is the 7th most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Charles of Austria (German: Karl von Österreich; 7 August 1590 – 28 December 1624), nicknamed the Posthumous, a member of the Imperial House of Habsburg, was Prince-Bishop of Breslau (Wrocław) from 1608, Prince-Bishop of Brixen from 1613, and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1618 until his death. In 1621 he also received the Bohemian County of Kladsko as a fief from the hands of his brother, Emperor Ferdinand II.

8. Hermann Gmeiner (1919 - 1986)

With an HPI of 56.40, Hermann Gmeiner is the 8th most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Hermann Gmeiner (23 June 1919 – 26 April 1986) was an Austrian philanthropist and the founder of SOS Children's Villages.

9. Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (1649 - 1664)

With an HPI of 56.37, Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria is the 9th most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Charles Joseph (German: Karl Joseph) (7 August 1649 – 27 January 1664) was an Archduke of Austria and Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (1662–1664). He was also the Bishop of Olmütz, and Breslau, Passau.

10. Maria Schicklgruber (1795 - 1847)

With an HPI of 55.96, Maria Schicklgruber is the 10th most famous Austrian Religious Figure.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Maria Anna Schicklgruber (15 April 1795 – 6 January 1847) was the mother of Alois Hitler, and the paternal grandmother of Adolf Hitler.