Central Religious Authorities of the Kingdom of Poland

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Poland

Holding institution:: Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw

Holding institution (official language):: Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych w Warszawie

Postal address:: ul. Długa 7, 00-263 Warszawa

Phone number:: (+ 48 22) 831-54-91; (+ 48 22) 93, 635-45-32

Web address:: www.agad.archiwa.gov.pl

Email:: secretariat@agad.gov.pl

Reference number:: 1/190

Title:: Central Religious Authorities of the Kingdom of Poland

Title (official language):: Centralne Władze Wyznaniowe Królestwa Polskiego

Creator/accumulator:: Government Commission for Religious Denominations and Public Enlightenment

Date(s):: 1768/1912

Date note:: Documents date from 1768–1888 and 1905–1912.

Language:: Polish; Russian; Latin; German

Extent:: 77 linear metres (1999 folders)

Type of material:: Textual material

Physical condition:: good

Scope and content:: The collection comprises extant fragments of the resources originating from departmental chancelleries of the ministries dealing with management of religions (denominations) in the Kingdom of Poland. The surviving dossiers relate to endowment/emolument and functioning of Roman Catholic Church institutions, former monastic records, records of Mosaic (Jewish) religious communities and of Protestant Evangelical communities, affairs related to religious education (various denominations), issues related to incomes received by institutions of the various religions, annual (full-time) employments, reports submitted to government commissions and diaries of the Religious Denominations Department dating to 1841-71.

The units referring to Jewish-related issues include extensive correspondence of the central authorities on the general rules of organisation of the Jewish community in the kingdom, the legal status of religious communities and rabbis, rules of metrical registration, missionaries’ activities among Jews and various aspects of the religious life. There also are 401 units related to individual religious communities in the years 1815–67.

The following units are entirely focused on Jewish-related affairs:

Ref. nos. 15, 45, 205, 206: Jewish converts to Christianity;

Ref. nos. 905-911: dissolution of the kahals and debts incurred by (former) kahals;

Ref. nos. 1003, 1010, 1012, 1015, 1023: Jewish legates;

Ref. nos. 1408-1424: general plans for a reform of the status of the Jewish community in the kingdom, preservation of the religious regulations, kosherness (kashrut), plans for agrarian colonisation, abolishment of religious fraternities, etc;

Ref. nos. 1425-1443: dissolution of the kahals, institution of Jewish community boards (tasked with synagogal supervisory function), and reforms of community funds;

Ref. nos. 1444-1453: reform of the rabbinate and keeping of vital records for Jewish people;

Ref. nos. 1454-1459: activities of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews;

Ref. nos. 1460-1467: Various: sale of Christian books through Jewish merchants, Committee for the Old-Testament People (i.e. the Jewry), a medal commemorating the first ever barmitzvah to have taken place in Warsaw, distances between the synagogue and the Orthodox Church, Christian household servants at Jewish houses, and a Jewish hospital;

Ref. nos. 1468-1868: records of the Jewish communities within the Kingdom of Poland:

Chmielnik, Chęciny, Działoszyce, Kromołów, Pilica, Pińczów, Szydłów, Stopnica, Wodzisław, Żarki, Żarnowiec, Nowy-Korczyn, Będzin, Olkusz, Pacanów, Secymin, Wiślica, Kurozwęki, Lelów, Sobków, Janów, Szczekociny, Włoszczowa, Książ Wielki, Wolbrom, Busk, Kazanów, Klimontów, Kozienice, Końskie, Lipsk, Opoczno, Parzenice, Przedbórz, Staszów, Sandomierz, Sienno, Szydłowiec, Zwoleń, Żarnów, Radom, Janowiec, Ostrowiec, Tarłów, Radoszyce, Przysucha, Iłża, Ryczywół, Gniewoszów, Bogoryja, Ciepielów, Goworów, Granica, Magnuszew, Opatów, Ożarów, Połaniec, Przytyk, Raków, Zawichost, Iwaniska, Skrzynno, Koprzywnica, Czyżew, Klwów, Wolanów, Białobrzegi, Błaszki, Bolesławiec, Burzenin, Częstochowa, Działoszyn, Dobra, Kamieńsk, Kleczew, Kłobuck, Konin, Koło, Koźminek, Krzepice, Kalisz, Lutomiersk, Łask, Praszka, Przyrów, Pławno, Piotrków, Pyzdry, Radomsk[o], Rozprza, Stawiszyn, Szadek, Szczerców, Tuszyn, Uniejów, Widawa, Warta, Wieluń, Wieruszów, Zduńska-Wola, Złoczew, Pabianice, Wolbrom, Turek, Ślesin, Iwanowice, Brzeźnica, Pajęczno, Wilczyn, Bełchatów, Sulimierzyce, Koniecpol, Golina, Zagórów, Władysławów, Skulsk, Tuliszków, Ryczywół, Lututów, Biłgoraj, Baranów, Bełżyce, Chełm, Dubienka, Goraj, Grabowiec, Hrubieszów, Józefów, Kraśnik, Kurów, Lubartów, Lublin, Łaszczów, Łęczna, Rejowiec, Siedliszcze, Tarnogród, Tomaszów, Tyszowce, Wieniawa, Zamość, Irena, Żółkiewka, Gorzków, Frampol, Piaski, Zaklików, Świerże, Turobin, Jarczów, Krasnystaw, Czemierniki, Annopol, Bychawa, Biskupice, Głusk, Końskowola, Markuszów, Michów, Opole, Kamionka, Wąwolnica, Puławy, Tarnogóra, Wojsławice, Horodło, Kryłów, Komarów, Uchanie, Krasnobród, Krzeszów, Modliborzyce, Szczebrzeszyn, Izbica, Konstantynów, Bielsk, Dobrzyń, Krasnosielce, Lipno, Maków, Nowe-Miasto, Nasielsk, Przasnysz, Płońsk, Płock, Serock, Sierpc, Wyszogród, Zakroczym, Ostrołęka, Wyszków, Myszeńce, Ostrów, Szereńsk, Bieżuń, Drobina, Żuromin, Andrzejów, Raciąż, Rypin, Mława, Kikoł, Kuczbork, Chorzele, Ciechanów, Radzanów, Różan, Zarębce, Krasnosielce, Brok, Sochocin, Aleksandrów, Brześć, Grójec, Grodzisk, Gąbin, Gostynin, Izbica, Kałuszyn, Kiernozie, Kutno, Lubraniec, Łęczyca, Łódź, Łowicz, Mszczonów, Piątek, Praga, Poddębice, Radzymin, Służew, Sochaczew, Stryków, Warszawa, Włocławek, Rawa, Kowal, Parzęczew, Mińsk, Nieszawa, Skierniewice, Warka, Bielawy, Góra-Kalwaria, Przedecz, Karczew, Sompolno, Nowy-Dwór, Zgierz, Tomaszów, Wiskitki, Iłów, Krośniewice, Mogielnica, Żychlin, Grodno, Tarczyn, Grabów, Osięciny, Piaseczno, Ozorków, Chodecz, Brzeziny, Dąbie, Kłodawa, Ujazd, Radziejów, Inowłódz, Lubień, Sobota, Konstantynów, Nadarzyn, Jadów, Powązki, Kołbiel, Biała, Łosice, Łuków, Międzyrzec, Parczew, Radzyń, Seroczno, Siedlce, Sokołów, Terespol, Węgrów, Włodawa, Kosów, Łomazy, Sławatycze, Sarnaki, Ostrów, Wisznice, Kock, Bobrowniki, Żelechów, Mordy, Mokobody, Konstantynów, Kodeń, Sobienie, Piszczac, Łysobyki, Garwolin, Wohyń, Parysów, Aleksota, Berżniki, Filipów, Jedwabne, Kalwaria, Raczki, Sokoły, Suwałki, Stawiska, Sejny, Tykocin, Władysławów, Wizna, Wiłkowyszki, Wysztyniec, Łomża, Mariampol, Rajgród, Przerośl, Preny, Wiżajny, Nowogród, Poniemuń, Godlewo, Zambrów, Śniadowo, Łoździeje, Ludwinów, Wierzbołowo, Augustów, Puńsk, Siemno, Rutki, Balwierzyszki, Kolno, Wysokie-Mazowieckie, Ciechanowiec, Bakałarzewo, Grajewo, Lipsk, Bakałarzewo, Sztabin, Radziłów, Krasnopol, Mirosławiec, Sereje, Lubowo, Olita, Sudargi, Pilwiszki, Sapieżyszki, Szaki, Jabłonka, Hołynka, Szczuczyn, Wąsocz, Wiejsieje;

1869-71: the Hassidim, the Karaites.

Archival history:: Part of the collection that was considered of no further use in daily business was separated and deposited at the Kazimierzowski Palace in 1839. In 1854 some of the records were transferred to the National Central Archive. The dossiers were subsequently rearranged in 1861 and 1864. In 1866-69 the files related to the management of the Greek Catholic and Orthodox religions were singled out. A total of 6,224 volumes and four chests of miscellaneous material were carried away to St Petersburg in 1871; some 2,400 volumes were left in Warsaw. The dossiers joined the Archives of Historical Records in 1919. With a 1932 reclamation of records exported into Russia, the fund consisted of more than 8,000 sewn sheets. The collection in Warsaw was destroyed in the Warsaw Rising of 1944.

The collection as it stands today has been formed of the 1,878 units which had not been returned to the Polish authorities in 1932, survived World War II in the Soviet Union, and were eventually given back to Poland in 1962 by the Central Historical Archive in Leningrad. Once rearranged, complemented and inventoried, the fund was given its present name.

Administrative/biographical history:: There was no dedicated institution in the history of the Kingdom of Poland that dealt with managing religious or denominational affairs. In the Duchy of Warsaw, religions were supervised by the Minister of the Interior, or the Minister of the Police (competent in certain fields). Religious affairs, including Jewish community issues, were tackled by the Government Commission for Religious Denominations and Public Enlightenment. Denomination-related issues were the responsibility of the Religious Denominations Department, while various affairs involving religious communities were at times handled by one of the four other ministerial departments. In 1832 the Commission for Internal, Clerical and Public Enlightenment Affairs was set up, dealing with religious matters within the Department of Religious Denominations and Public Enlightenment. With the reorganisation that took place in 1839, affairs related to or involving religious communities were handled by the Clerical Affairs Department. The ministry was eventually dissolved in 1868, the supervision of ‘alien’ (non-Orthodox) religions being then tackled by the Board of Alien Religious Denominations in the Kingdom of Poland. With its winding up in 1871, religious affairs were turned over to the Russian empire’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and to the Namiestnik (Viceroy) of the Kingdom of Poland.

Access points: locations:: Poland

Subject terms:: Conversion to Christianity; Hasidic Judaism; Health and medical matters; Health and medical matters--Hospitals; Jewish community; Kahal; Karaite Judaism; Kashrut; Proselytisation; Rabbis; Vital records

Access, restrictions:: Collection partly available on microfilm.

Finding aids:: Online finding aid available.

General overview in: ‘Centralne Władze wyznaniowe Królestwa Polskiego’, in: Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych w Warszawie. Przewodnik po zasobie, vol. 2: Epoka porozbiorowa, ed. Franciszka Ramotowska (Warsaw, 1998), 177-203.

Judaica w aktach Centralnych Władz Wyznaniowych Królestwa Polskiego Archiwum Głównego Akt Dawnych. Informator archiwalny [Judaica in the archival collection of the Central Religious Authorities of the Kingdom of Poland: Archival guide] (Wrocław, 2010), 262 pages (includes register of archival units with Jewish content).

Inventory available in the reading room of the archive.

Małgorzata Kośka, Materiały do dziejów Żydów na ziemiach polskich w XIX w. w zbiorach Archiwum Głównego Akt Dawnych, w: Źródła archiwalne do dziejów Żydów w Polsce, ed. Bolesław Woszczyński and Violetta Urbaniak (Warsaw, 2001), 31-56.

Yerusha Network member:: Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute

Author of the description:: Marcin Wodziński; University of Wroclaw; 2015

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