Języki narodowe w działalności jezuitów w Inflantach

Abstract

After Livonia had been subordinated to Poland in 1582, the Jesuits according to the will of King Stephen Batory began recatholisation of the subordinated country. They opened their houses in Riga (1582), Dorpat (1583) and Wenden (1611). The main problem in their apostolic work was the knowledge of the vernaculars. Freeholders and townspeople spoke German and Polish, peasantry — primarily Estonian and Latvian. The unacquaintance of these languages was the main reason of the lack of Catholic clergy ready to work in this territory. The Jesuits, aiming at converting the peasantry, first of all began a profound study of Latvian and Estonian. That’s why they founded the Interpreters’ Seminary (Seminarium interpretum) in Dorpat in 1583, where they prepared necessary literature in the Baltic languages both for missionaries and people. The first catechism in Latvian Catechismus Romanus, based on the catechism of Peter Canisius, was published in Vilnius in 1585. The first Catholic writer in Latvian was Erdman Tolgsdorf (1550—1620 and in Estonian — Ambrose Völker (1547—1610) and Wilhelm Buccius (1585—1643). After the Swedish had taken the Jesuits houses in the years 1621—1626, the Jesuits opened new houses in Dyneburg (1630), Schönberg (1660), Mitawa (1670) and Qhikszta (1690), in the areas populated mainly by the Latvian. These houses supervised tens of missionary bases founded near churches in villages. Till the dissolution of the Society in 1773 the Jesuits managed to bring Catholicism to a considerable part of Latvia (mainly Latgalia) basically thruogh their good command of Latvian and its dialects. Magnificent achievements of pastoral work in Jesuits’ bases testify to the success of their ministry in the vernacular. The leading role in preparing Latvian literature was played by Jerzy Eiger (1586—1672), the author of a Polish-Latin- Latvian dictionary, a catechism, biblical and liturgical texts and songs. A Latvian dictionary, especially for missionaries, was worked out by Jan Kariger (1664—1729) and a grammar of Latvian — Grzegorz Szpungiański (1692—1733) and Henryk Meden (1673—1739). Jan Lukasiewicz (1699—1779), Michał Roth (1721—1785), Taddeus Kuczyński (1769—1856), among many others, wrote religious books for people. The main publishing centre for Latvian literature were the Jesuit printers’ in Vilnius in 1773 and then in Połock. Estonian and Latvian scholarly works printed in small number of copies and prepared primarily for missionaries were lost with time. Books of common prayers and devotions for people got worn out to a great extent and nowadays they are bibliographical rarities, real white crows.