Jurij Humar – new knowledge on his life and work

Abstract

Jurij Humar (1819–1890) was a folk healer and a priest of the Ljubljana Diocese practicing homeopathy and magnetism. Although many works have been published on his healing practices, most focused on his last period, 1876–1890, when he served in Primskovo. The article largely focuses on the period before Humar’s arrival in Primskovo and hence on parish sources that have so far not been used and that now shed new light on his personality. It presents the newly discovered motives for his correspondence with missionaries, as he too wanted to join the missions to North America. Apart from revealing his difficult character as well as brushes with church and secular authorities over his healing practice, the documents also elucidate why a priest so well-versed in languages, physics, theology, natural sciences, and astronomy chose to live a secluded life in a rural environment away from educational institutions.