Działalność reformacyjna Stanisława Mateusza Stadnickiego w diecezji przemyskiej

Abstract

The second half of the 16th Century is the period of a considerable development of Protestant Reformation in the diocese of Przemyśl. It was inspired mainly by secular people, rich noblemen, as for instance by Krzysztof Pilecki, the owner of Łańcut who abandoned the Roman Church in 1548, but first of all by Stanisław Mateusz Stadnicki from Dubiecko. Well-connected with many families of Great Poland and Little Poland (Pileccy, Zborowscy, Ossolińscy, Ostrorogowie) who favored new ideas of Reformation, Stadnicki revealed first his reformational belief in 1546 in the region of Cracow where he also had numerous property. His estate, Niedźwiedź near Pińczów, became a main place offering a refuge and schooling to evangelical ministere. A manifestation of the new faith in the diocese of Przemyśl was the baptism of Stadnicki’s child in Dubiecko (1551) administered in the presence of many guests by Father Wojciech from Iłża who was disunited with the Roman Church. Soon after it Father Wojciech began saying Mass in the Lutheran rite at the hospital chapel. Finally, after destroying of a tabernacle with the Holy Sacrament and the pictures, Stadnicki established him in the parish church in Dubiecko on 29th April 1554. New protestant ministere were coming to Dubiecko. The most significant was the arrival of an outstanding reformational theologian Franciszek Stankar (1559) and Grzegorz Orszak with some Calvinistical scholars who were expelled from Pińczów (1560) for unorthodoxy. It was the time of a brilliant growith of the already existing school of Dubiecko which had about 300 pupils, mainly from noblemen families. Stadnicki, by inflicting cruel penelties upon his peoples, forced them to attend the protestant church service. Upon his influence some diocese priests were temporarily converted to Protestantism. The sentences passed by Jan Dziaduski, the bishop of Przemyśl diocese, on Stadnicki and his ministere did not change his action. Stadnioki’s religions views, as those of other supporters of Reformation in Poland, underwent some variations. He was very active in Calvinistic synods. Stadnicki died in 1563 but since his acquaintance with Stankar he remainded faithful to his master’s ideas. They were both expelled from the official Protestant church and this was undoubtedly one of the reasons why the Protestant movement was not so strong in the region of Dubiecko, and that after 30 years of its existence it came to a definite end when Stadnicki’s son, Andrzej, converted to the Roman Church (1588) and rebuilt the interior of the parish church im Dubiecko.