Pochodzenie społeczne zakonników litewskiej prowincji bazylianów w XVII-XVIII wieku⃰

ENThe article analyses the social background of the monks of the Lithuanian Basilian province in the 17th-18th century. It outlines the regulations established during the sessions of monastic chapters and the manner of how they were implemented. Recruitment conditions did not impose criteria and restrictions on the candidates’ social background. The analysis of their background in the selected groups of monks has revealed that the vast majority of them came from the nobility. Religious life was chosen by a very small number of sons of Unitarian clergy. There were no monks coming from peasantry. Monks coming from noble families held higher offices and fulfilled pastoral functions requiring contact with the faithful (preacher, teacher). Noble origin may have hindered pastoral work among the faithful. The noble background determined the direction of the transformation of the Uniate Church in the sphere of artistic culture. Educated along the lines of noble culture, monks became a vehicle imparting elite culture in the communities where they conducted pastoral and educational activities. A comparison with other congregations in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth shows that the preponderance of monks from noble families was a feature characteristic of the Lithuanian Basilian province. Keywords: The Basilian Order, Lithuanian province, social origins, 17th–18th century.