Pacanów Deaconate … A History

Pacanow Deanery — Church Censuses

 

By 1326 the Pacanów deaconate (aka deanery), consisted of 13 parishes:

Beszów, Biechów, Kargów, Koniemłoty, Kotuszów, Książnice, Oleśnica, Pacanów, Staszów, Stopnica, Szydłów, Tuczępa, and Zborówek.

During 1326-1470 two more parishes were established: Kurozwęki and Strzelce.

In the later days, up to the 20th century, no new parishes were created and in fact, the Strzelce parish disappeared in the second half of the 16th century.

In the 20th century, two new parishes were created: Szczebrzusz (1925),  Rytwiany (1936). Please note these two as they happened in the last 100 years and they will be listed in the archives.

In the second half of the 15th century, out of 15 parish churches, 5 were wooden: in Biechów, Książnice, Strzelce, Tuczępy, and Zborówko;     8 brick: in Beszowa, Kargów, Kurozwęki, Oleśnica, Pacanów, Staszów, Stopnica, and Szydłów; in relation to two building materials we know only from the second half of the sixteenth century; in one case it is a wooden church – in Kotuszów, in the second one – in Koniemłoty.

 

In the 18th century, out of 14 parish churches, the number of wooden churches amounted to 3, bricked churches 11. The change from a wooden church to a brick one took place in Kotuszów (in 1635-1661) and in Tuczępy (in 1674).

 

The sixteenth century sources recorded only 4 hospitals; in the seventeenth century 10 hospitals and in the eighteenth century 14 hospitals. In the parish of Kotuszów in 1748 there was no hospital, however, the table from the same year recorded the existence of 2 poor {houses?]. Hospital chapels are in Pacanów, Staszów and Szydłów from the end of the 16th century.

In the sixteenth to eighteenth century, in the Pacanów deanery, there were 26 chapels or private oratorios (excluding hospital chapels) in 10 parishes. In the sixteenth century there are 6 chapels, in the seventeenth century 12 chapels, and  in the eighteenth century 18 chapels. Of these chapels, 6 are from the 16th to the 18th century: in Kurozwęki, Pacanów, Rytwiany (Staszów parish), Szklanowie (Stopnica parish) and 2 in Szydłów; two are available from the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries: in Łubnica (Beszów parish) and in Szczebrzusz (parish Zborówek); ten occur only in the 18th century: in Wolica (Beszów parish), Grzybów (parish Koniemłoty), Kurozwęki, Borzymów (Oleśnica parish), in Bydłowa (Oleśnica parish), in Staszów and Czyżów {parish. Tuczępy), Strzelce (Oleśnica parish).

The Polish word ‘cech’ means guild (a kind of professional union). The other word of interest is ‘Bractwo’ meaning brotherhood (but church society might be a better understanding).

As it can be seen from the image on the left, in the sixteenth century, we find the existence of 5 brotherhoods and 5 guilds, in the seventeenth century – 9 brotherhoods and three guilds, in the eighteenth century – 15 brotherhoods and one guild.

 

Keep these in mind as you search through fonds in the National Archives in Kielce or Sandomierz. For example, this jester’s  great grandfather, Tomasz Leszczynski was a shoemaker, so the ‘cech szewcow‘ might be a focus for me.

At some point the deanery shifts to Stopnica. I assume that happened as Pacanow’s fortunes declined and its importance lessened after many Tatar raids and wars (before the partitions).

I wonder why almost all of the guilds are “associated” with the Szydlow parish? Anybody know? Write this jester or post a comment.

 

Next: The Plebani (Pastors) of Pacanów parish