Cracow Bishop Piotr Tylicki and Monastic Orders in His Diocese (1607-1616)

Abstract

The end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century were characterised in the Cracow diocese by intensive involvement in carrying out a reform introduced by the Council of Trent. The second bishop in the 17th century in Cracow was Piotr Tylicki, who was an ordinary of this diocese in the years 1607-1616. The Holy See appointed him as a special inspector of monastic orders in the diocese of Cracow. Bishop Tylicki was genuinely involved in the revival of monastic life in accordance with the rules of the Tridentinum. He visited the monasteries himself or through appointed envoys. Despite the lack of a number of sources referring to these inspections, it should be assumed that they were made in all major monasteries of the diocese. It does not mean that each inspection resulted in an increase in observance of monastic life in a given monastery or convent. It is doubtless, however, that bishop Tylicki had a great share in the reception of the Council of Trent by monastic orders in the Cracow diocese and elsewhere in Poland. The results of this activity were made visible only later. In mid 17th century the number of vocations increased considerably. One can assume that this increase in the number of  candidates to monastic orders was also a result of a decade of Piotr Tylicki’s creative work in reforming and perfecting monastic life observance in convents and monasteries in the Cracow diocese area.