The missionary travels of the Lviv Jesuits in the 17th and first half of the 18th centuries and its importance for geography

Abstract

In Europe, during the 17th and first half of the 18th centuries, Lviv played an important role in the history of the Jesuit missionary travels as one of the leading centres of activity of the Society of Jesus in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Jesuit Academy in Lviv maintained contacts with missions in Persia (in Isfahan) and its dependent regions of the South Caucasus (in the cities of Gandia (Ganja), Shamakhi, Yerevan), in the Ottoman Empire (Constantinople) and its vassals in Moldova (in cities Jassy and Kutnari) and Wallachia, as well as in Crimea (Kafa). The most famous Jesuit missionaries, who lived, studied or worked in Lviv, were in different years: Michal Boym, Tadeusz Krusinski, Ignacy Wieszorkowski, Tomash Mlodzianovski, Pavlo Kostanetski, Jan Gostkowski, Stanislaw Solski, Teofil Rutka, and Jan Reut. They have written works that are important for the development of European geography. Michal Boym specified the geographical location of China, Korea, and neighbouring regions and compiled 18 maps of China. Tadeusz Krusinski has explored the countries and regions of the Middle East and Central Asia. He was the first European who makes a regional description of Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush mountain system. Ignacy Wieszorkowski left travel notes about the Jesuit missions in Persia. Joseph Sadovski is the author of a regional description of Turkey. The Jesuit missionaries often occupied senior administrative positions at the Jesuit Academy in Lviv and other Jesuit schools after completing their missionary activities. Lviv has also become an important publishing centre of literature about Eastern countries. This contributed to the expansion of the teacher and student geographical worldview in the Jesuit Academy in Lviv. Its prestige as an educational institution also increased. The geographic heritage of the Jesuit missionaries from Lviv needs further scientific study, including archival searches of materials related to their travels. Key words: missionary travel, Society of Jesus, geographical description, Jesuit Academy in Lviv, Oriental Studies.