Summary
Crisis and reform of monastic life between 14
th
and 16
th
centuries
and its impact on the Dominican monastery in Łęczyca
Although to a lesser degree, the
14
th
century crisis of monastic life also embraced Mendicant
Orders, including the Order of Preachers. Dominican brothers were obliged to respect the principles
written down in the rule of St Augustine as well as in the con
stitution of the order which regulated the
life of the Order as well as defined the Order’s organizational structure. Friars however, sometimes
gave in to temptation and broke the rules of their communities. The convents’ style of life with
characteristic
disregard for the notion of religious community in the order and omnipresent
individualism in every field was in conflict with the spirit and content of the rules and constitution of
the Domini
can, and was referred to as conventualism. The call to initiat
e a thorough reform of the law
in the Order was given by Master General Raymond of Capua. At his command in every Dominican
province within one year one monastery with at least 12 brothers was required to introduce the rule of
regular observance
–
the rene
wal of relations from the period of the formation of the Order and strict
adherence (observare) to the Order’s rules. The basic condition of the observance was enclosure.
Observant Convents were excluded from the authority of the Provincial and subjected t
o the power of
vicars des
ignated by the Master General. This led to the creation of separate congregations some
times
uniting reformed monasteries from different provinces and countries.
In the Polish province the observant reform officially began on 30 July 1432 in the Wroclaw
mona
stery of St. Adalbert. The success of the reform was confirmed by Chelm
no Chapter in 1519 only
in the orders in Glogow, Legnica, Krosno (part of Silesia pro
vince) as well as in part of Mazovia
province, whereas the entire division of the province of Grea
ter Poland together with the Łęczyca
monastery was subjected to special care of Andrew from Parczew. The same chapter tells Vicar
General of the province to re
-
visit the convents and reintroduce the reform. The negative effects of the
collapse of obse
rvan
ce by Łęczyca Friars Preachers were serious and they appeared immediately. The
convent had never exceeded the number of 12 monks present at one time till the end of its existence in
1799.
There were several reasons for the fall of observance in Poland: th
e reform was su
perficial in its
character, both conventualists and observants were under the authority of the provinces, small
convents were poverty stricken. According to J. Kłoczowski the initiators of the reform wrongfully
restricted the reform to mora
l issues only, ignoring the structural aspect. It led to many monks behave
passively towards the attempts to in
troduce observance.