Don Thomaso Raspassani, egy albán szabadságharcos titkos élete
The Secret Life of Don Thomaso Raspassani, an Albanian Freedom Fighter

Summary/Abstract: In the light of the contemporary sources, at the beginning of the 18th century in Buda, Don Thomaso Raspassani, the Catholic priest of Watertown (Víziváros, Wasserstadt), was a widely known man, although opinions on his role and personality greatly varied. In his lifetime the city magistracy and the German population sought, unsuccessfully, to expel him, while at the same time the Hungarian minority adored him. While he had once been perceived as a symbol of the “Jesuit oppression”, in his death he became the defender of urban freedom. Raspassani’s memory is still preserved at one of the most frequented squares of the capital (today Batthyány Square) by the huge baroque building of the Saint Anna Church near the Danube riverbank, which received its name at his suggestion. It is only recently that Hungarian researchers have come to know about Raspassani’s activities in Kosovo and the leading role he played in the anti-Ottoman uprising that broke out in his homeland. This study, which is based on the few but previously unused archival documents and other materials, aims to describe and analyse the extraordinary circumstances of the new world surrounding Raspassani and his role in the urban development of Buda. It also explores the background of his secretive lifestyle.

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