Early life Franz Anton was a son of
Ferdinand Bonaventure Graf von Harrach (1637-1706), confidant of
Emperor Leopold I, and Countess
Johanna Theresa von Lamberg. His younger brothers were
Aloys Thomas Raimund von Harrach (1669-1742), the progenitor of the younger,
Silesian line of the
House of Harrach, and
Johann Philipp von Harrach, a Fieldmarshal. Franz Anton grew up in
Madrid, studied canon and civil law at the
Pontificium Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum de Urbe in
Rome, and was raised in 1706 by
Joseph I ad personam to the rank of
Fürst.
Ecclesiastical career In 1685, Franz Anton was
canon in Passau. In 1687, the canon in Salzburg, and 1692 there
dean. Emperor Leopold I appointed him coadjutor of Vienna in July 1701, the Papal confirmation taking place on 1 December. He was also
Titular Bishop of Epiphania. When Prince-Bishop Ernest Graf von Trautson died on 7 January 1702, Harrach became his successor and received the episcopal ordination by
Johann Philipp von Lamberg, Prince-Bishop of Passau. On 19 October 1705, he was appointed coadjutor of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg,
Johann Ernst von Thun und Hohenstein, and confirmed in April 1706 by the
Pope. After the death of
Thun und Hohenstein, he was on 29 May 1709 made reigning Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Franz Anton was benevolent, affable, and popular as prince-bishop. he loved pageantry and had the
Mirabell Palace considerably enlarged and renewed. The result was an impressive
Rococo staircase and marble hall. From 1710 to 1711, he had the Salzburg residence renewed. His reign was calm overall, even contemporaries spoke of the "Golden Age of Harrach". His artistic sense, which was characterized by the Late Baroque, is especially praised. He employed well-known artists for the execution of the plans at great cost. The architects were
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and
Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt, sculptor
Georg Raphael Donner, painters
Johann Michael Rottmayr and
Martino Altomonte. Prince-Bishop Harrach endeavored to promote business and commerce as a source of prosperity. For trading in
Venice and the Mediterranean, he had the major trade routes extended. He lies buried in the crypt of
Salzburg Cathedral. ==References==