Hieronymus Pez was an Austrian Benedictine

Benedictine

Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...

 librarian and historian.

Pez was born at Ybbs

Ybbs

Ybbs is a river in Lower Austria, and in Austria also the common short form to designate the little town Ybbs an der Donau.Its source is located on the Zellerrain Pass near Mariazell...

. In 1703 he entered the novitiate

Novitiate

Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....

 at Melk Abbey

Melk Abbey

Melk Abbey or Stift Melk is an Austrian Benedictine abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube in Lower Austria, adjoining the Wachau valley....

, and was ordained in 1711. He became assistant to his brother Bernhard Pez

Bernhard Pez

Bernhard Pez was an Austrian Benedictine historian and librarian.-Life:He studied at Vienna and Krems, and in 1699 entered Melk Abbey...

, after whose death he became librarian. He remained at Melk until his own death.

Hieronymus Pez was also member of the first learned society

Learned society

A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...

 in Habsburg Monarchy, the Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis

Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis

Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis was the first learned society in the lands under control of Austrian Habsburgs. It was established, formally, in 1746 at the university and episcopal town of Olomouc in order to spread Enlightenment ideas...

, which was publishing the first scientific journal of the monarchy, to which Pez was also contributing.

Works

His principal works are:

• "Scriptores rerum Austriacarum", 1721–45, in three volumes, a collection of over one hundred sources for Austrian history;
• "Acta S. Colomanni" (1713);
• "History of St. Leopold" (1746).