Profanation of the sepulchral crypt of Komorowski counts at church parish in Sucha Beskidzka in 1647

Abstract

Profanations of sacral places in pre-partition Poland happened quite often, though these times are described infrequently, as times dominated by religion and religious culture. Burglaries to churches, theft of vessels, reliquaries, books, vestments, altar-linen, valuables adorning miraculous images were treated as sacrilege and punished ruthlessly, but still there were a lot of thieves. On Sunday 6 July, 1647 students of parish school in Sucha Beskidzka used the absence of priests of the local cloister and the rector of the school, and they entered to the church, and then they got to the sepulchral crypt of the founders and they stripped their coffins from silver-sheet metals as well as they stole valuable objects from them. For the crime they were sentenced to death which was finally changed into public torture and exile. The synthetic description of the event was left in the parish register by priest Stephen Ranatowicz, who was later a superb chronicler and historic writer. Reminding of the event today, after the lapse of 371 years, may seem little useful for history, science and cultures of the whole country, but for regional history, especially for those who are interested history of Sucha Beskidzka and the family of Komorowski, counts in Liptów and Komorów, creators of the suski dominion, builders of the local castle and church, may be an interesting contribution.