Kėdainių katalikų parapija XVII a.: parama ir konfliktai

Abstract

Kėdainiai was a multicultural city in the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. From the second half of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century Protestants made up the majority of the population. The article sets out to analyse the material situation of the Kėdainiai Catholic parish in the 17th century, the relations between Catholics and Protestants, as well as the relations within the Catholic community. It aims to reveal the problems faced by the priests of the Catholic parish in the administration of the parish situated on the border between Vilnius and Samogitian dioceses and between Catholic and Protestant communities. The research was carried out on the basis of the material from the Archive of the Kėdainiai Catholic Parish, the data of visitations and inventories and other manuscript sources. Keywords: Kėdainiai, Holy Trinity and Saint George Parish, Catholics, Protestants, 17th century. Summary The article intends to show how parishioners supported Kėdainiai Holy Trinity and Saint George Church, what material, administrative and pastoral care related requirements were placed on priests, what conflicts used to arise and how they were solved in a multi-cultural parish. The research found that in the 17th century the Kėdainiai Catholic parish received its material support from the estate of Kunigiszki as well as the folwark of Boiany granted by Krzysztof Radziwill in 1627, the folwark of Paxteliszki bequeathed by the resident of Kėdainiai Kristina Paxtelowa in 1657 and the estate of Andrukiszki granted by the nobleman of Kaunas district, royal secretary, clerk of the Kaunas Castle Stefan Franciszek Medeksza in 1667. Several noblemen (Zabiello, Szukszta, etc.) granted certain sums of money to the parish the recovery of which would sometimes even lead to court proceedings. Quite a few noblemen and townspeople (including the Gypsies of Kėdainiai) gave various liturgical objects to the church and decorated altars with votive offerings – the signs of gratitude for the mercies received. The study showed that a number of conflicts between Catholics and Protestants as well as within the Catholic community used to arise in the Holy Trinity and Saint George Parish. In the first half of the 17th century the Protestants of Kėdainiai restricted the organization of the major annual holiday of the Catholic parish – the Feast of Corpus Christi – in the city by not allowing to hold a procession from the church to the Town Hall Square and to have a divine service near the temporary altars set up in the city. In the second half of the 17th century the forces of Evangelicals reduced in the city, but Catholics engaged in conflicts among themselves over material valuables and the ways of expanding the Catholic faith in the city. The townspeople raised their requirements for the priest as regards the administration of the parish property as well as education and pastoral care related affairs. In the second half of the 17th century the townspeople of Kėdainiai were planning to have a small monastery and a high-standard Catholic school with professional secular teachers teaching in it as well as to participate in the distribution of the parish income.