Geneza i utworzenie kapituły i kolegiaty w Nowym Sączu w 1448 roku

Abstract

In 1292, seven hundred years ago, the king Wacław Czeski founded the town Nowy Sącz. The cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki founded and erected the chapter and collegiate church dedicated to St Margaret. Until 1791 the collegiate church had fulfilled an important role in the history of the town, of the Nowy Sącz region and of the Kraków diocese. The church dedicated to St Margaret existed as early as in the eighteenth century, yet it was made a parochial church of the town Nowy Sącz as late as in the first half of the fourteenth century. The citizens had thouroughly reconstructed the temple at the turn of the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Zbigniew Oleśnicki raised it to the rank of the collegiate church. Among various motives deciding about this foundation the principal are the following: raising the level of liturgy and pastoral care in Nowy Sącz, spreading Catholicism among the national minorities living at the outskirts of the Kraków diocese, creating the personal and jurisdictional base for the archidiaconate and officialate in Nowy Sącz. The attempts at putting the foundation into effect lasted until 1447. They consisted in getting an agreement from the chapter of Kraków and from persons directly interested in the administrative changes resulting from the establishment of a new archidiaconate and collegiate chapter. One had to select a proper team of persons who could have been entrusted with the post of the chapter in Nowy Sącz: four prelates - prevost, deacon, archdeacon, guardian, four canons and eight curates. They make the governing body which entertains a considerable autonomy in relation to the chapter. Setting the principles of the functioning of the chapter, Oleśnicki patterned himself after the existing collegiate churches and chapters from the diocese. He did not, however, make any attempts to obtain a confirmation of the foundation from Rome. It is certain that Jan Długosz took part in the establishment of the chapter and collegiate church in Nowy Sącz, though we do not know any details as to his participation.