Zapisy mieszczan wołyńskich na rzecz dobroczynności i świątyń różnych wyznań według testamentów z XVII wieku

Abstract

Volhynian testaments from the 17th c. are a valuable source for research on burghers’ re-ligiousness and piety. In the 140 available last wills that were analysed for the purpose of the present article only 50 (i.e. 36%) included charitable and religious bequests, which means that almost 2/3 of the testators did not make any such bequests. The analysed documents suggest that this happened when testators were not rich, had numerous heirs (especially young children) or left many debts to be settled. Many testators (especially those belonging to the Orthodox Church) expressed their certainty that the heirs would take care of their funeral and salvation, and would donate some funds for charitable purposes at their own discretion. Volhynian burghers were mostly attached to local churches and made bequests to those in which they wanted to be buried and have masses said for their salvation. The bequests were usually small sums (5–10 Polish zloties), debts collectable from third parties, or money that was to be paid by heirs in exchange for some property transferred to them. The largest bequests (200–300 Polish zloties) were made by rich Catholic women. The most common forms were egacies in kind (wheat, food, livestock), movables (valuable vessels, paintings, books, tapestries, garments) and immovables (houses, farmland, meadows, orchards). Testators followed the assumption that their support of religious institutions might help their salvation. With the same intention they bequeathed money for masses for their souls, asking heirs or executors to make sure they would be said. They also left legacies to hospitals run by Catholic or Orthodox churches, supported the poor, or gave alms at funerals, thus fulfilling the Christian duty to help others and deserving their prayers. Such bequests were significant for the functioning of local religious institutions. The bequests discussed in this article are symptomatic of both testamentary and religious customs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.