The image of the parish clergy based on Wincenty De Seve’s inspection (1608-1609) – selected aspects

Abstract

The article discusses an important period in the Church history – the so-called Church reform. It occurred after King Zygmunt August (1564) and the Polish clergy (1577) had adopted the resolutions of the Council of Trent. The implementation of those resolutions commenced at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the postulates was the renewal of the life of the clergy – attitude to obligations and improvement of morals, customs and even external appearance. Wincenty de Seve’s inspection in the years 1608-1609 concerned the area of the archdeaconry of Gniezno. For the purposes of this article, its four deaneries were analysed: Holy Trinity, Saints Peter and Paul, Łekno and Sompolno.

The main purpose of the inspection was the parish, which played an extremely important role in the society. The article discusses the image of the parish clergy resulting from the conducted inspection, whereby the inspection took into account the reform guidelines. From this image it follows that both people who were models and those who drastically violated different norms were rather exceptions. The most numerous group formed clergymen who mostly met the requirements, however, still various irregularities could be noticed. The biggest problems of the next, slightly smaller group were women and alcohol. The offenses also included lack of knowledge, sloppiness and inappropriate attire.

The inspection shows that at the beginning of the 17th century, attempts were made to implement the reform of the parish clergy, but the elements of old habits and new norms could be found concurrently.