Fraternities in the Franciscan Churches in Poland in the Post-Trident Period (16th-18th Centuries)

Abstract

In the 16^th century, the trend of traditional religiosity was developing simultaneously with the top-down Tridentine reform. The dynamism of this trend of popular piety had its source in the late medieval process of deeper penetration of Christianity into the consciousness and life of the general public. This religious trend was expressed in fraternities, which became one of the forms of Catholic revival in Poland after the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent emphasized the fundamental organizational bond of the fraternities with the Church and specified their specificity and subjected them to the direct jurisdiction of the Holy See and the local bishop. A characteristic feature of the fraternities was their universality and omnipotence; members were recruited from people of different classes and professions.

The friars of St. Francis, in the post-Tridentine period, they expanded the area of their social and religious influence, consolidating three new, popular church fraternities at their churches. A reflection of this situation was the Franciscan church in Krakow, next to which in the 16^th/17^th century were founded three typical Franciscan fraternities: the Cord of St. Francis (1587), the Passion of Christ (1595), St. Anthony (1664). The fraternities took advantage of the spiritual direction of the Franciscan friars and enjoyed numerous privileges and indulgences that the friars were seeking. The activity of fraternities in Franciscan churches was a characteristic phenomenon of Catholic renewal after the Council of Trent. The Franciscans, along with other Mendicant orders, entered this trend in an impressive way, because thanks to their commitment and work, the integration of social groups on the religious, spiritual, cultural and charitable level contributed to the renewal of the Church and Polish society.