(...) the poor monastery here has been consumed by fire, impoverished, abandoned (...) - remarks on the oldest catalogue of priors of the Dominican Monastery in Oświęcim

Abstract

The aim of this essay was to present the catalogue of priors of the Domi­nican Monastery in Oświęcim. The subject of analysis was the oldest pre­served catalogue of priors, kept in the collections of Dominican archive in Cracow – this particular catalogue was set down at the beginning of the 17th century. The other most important sources concerning the history of the Oświęcim Dominicans were also discussed, works that can be found in ar­chives in Cracow, Wrocław, Lviv and Rome. Among the Oświęcim priors, one can find Father Mikołaj Ursinus, who was behind the plan to divide the Polish province into two. One can also find royal confessors, preachers at Wawel Cathedral, and figures who likewise served as prior of Cracow’s Dominican monastery. One of the priors was Father Leonard Niezabitowski, who, according to Dominican tradition, translated the Bible into Polish.