Metadata: Spiritual Consistory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vilnius
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Postal address:
- Mindaugo g. 8, 03107 Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 213 7482
- Web address:
- https://www.archyvai.lt/lt/lvia.html
- Email:
- istorijos.archyvas@lvai.lt
- Reference number:
- F. 604
- Title:
- Spiritual Consistory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vilnius
- Title (official language):
- Vilniaus Romos katalikų vyskupijos dvasinė konsistorija
- Creator/accumulator:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Date(s):
- 1471/1963
- Language:
- Russian
- Polish
- Lithuanian
- French
- Italian
- Latin
- Belarusian
- Extent:
- 45,895 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
This collection is a valuable resource for the interaction between the Spiritual Consistory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vilnius and Jews (individuals and kahals).
Files of the first inventory can be divided into several groups. The most interesting group of files are those connected to apostasy and conversion to another religion. There are cases on apostasy of Jewish recruits (5958, 12561), collection of documents on apostasy in Judaism (1758, 1761, 1762, 1854, 1856-1858, 1968, 1972, 1977, 2210, 2298, 3036, 3399, 5049, 5126, 5146, 5186, 9283, 10545, 11081, 11086, 11946, 12127, 13617), files on baptism of Jews (1080, 1102, 1166, 1240, 1242-1244, 1654,1655, 1658, 1659, 1758, 2700, 2934, 2936, 3868, 3869, 3870, 4063, 4521-4537, 4539, 4540, 4598-4609, 4613-4621, 4654-4656, 4658, 4659, 11953, 12171), conversion of Karaites to Catholicism (4610, 12189), return to Judaism (2701, 2703, 2704), and the return from Judaism to Catholicism (2586). File number 2704 "The case of the placement of the underage daughters of Lovitsky in the Vilnius orphanage of St. Stephen, conviction for returning to the Jewish faith" from 1830/1835 depict the consequences for returning to Judaism (physical punishment, recruitment, baptism of children and placement in a Christian orphanage), physical punishment and fines for those who provided support.
The next group of files concerns the lease of property belonging to Catholic Church institutions by Jews. There are documents on the leasing of mills (421, 650, and 3934). Examples include the leasing of the former royal mill of Vilnius University by Stephan Batoria (494, 813, 1062, 1225, 1723, 2634, 3087, 3357) and the lease of a former royal mill by brothers Lejba and Berka Abelson in 1829 (file 2634). This file provides information on the procedure of leasing monastery property to Jews, and disputes arising from this transaction. There are also documents on the leasing of land (6941, 8007), and renting houses by Jews (11645, 11696).
The third group of documents is connected to monetary claims between Jews and the church: monetary claims of Jews to institutions belonging to the Catholic Church (82, 3476, 4057, 5776, 9266, 9772, 11602, 12835), monetary claims of monasteries to Jewish individuals (3627, 4677, 5771, 9158), kahal debt cases (139, 280a, 282a, 287, 1545, 3371, 4028, 4360, 6149, 7481, 7501, 8434, 9271, 9276, 11791, 12366, 13566), mutual monetary claims of the Catholic Church institutions and Jews (11654, 13431). File number 1545 "Resolution of the Chief Lithuanian Grodno Court on the monetary claim of the Grodno Bernandine monks against the Krinsky Jewish kahal" from 1820 provide information on financial interaction between the Catholic Church institution and kahals, procedures for a loan and return of money by Jews to the monastery.
The fourth group of documents deals with disputes between Jews and Catholic Church institutions, bans and permits for the activities of Jews by Catholic Church institutions. There are cases on the ban on taverns close to Christian buildings (3238, 4776), illegal construction on the territory of the monastery (7529, 7581, 7617), restrictions on the rights of Jews to own land (11162), street seizure complaint (3583), property disputes (7572, 8006, 8709, 9322), obtaining permission (1387, 1390), and transfer of land to Jews (11153).
The fifth group concerns Jews and policemen (3236, 12789).
The sixth group contains various Jewish-related documents (106, 282, 285, 286, 269, 981, 7094, 7105, 7820, 8018, 8207, and 9534).
The last group of documents of the first inventory concerns violence against Jews by priests and monks (427, 4413, 8083, 11565, 12116), and the seduction of a Jewish woman (1688).
The third inventory can be divided into several groups. The first group of documents concerns land lease (87, 190, 1064, 1716, 1794, 1863, 1875, 2244, 2430, 2482, 2830, 2870, 3337, 3419, 4688, 4828, 4854, 4938, 5088, 5156, 5226, 5385, 5878, 5883, 6432, 6640), renting of houses, eviction, refusal to pay rent, assignments (318, 1803, 1873, 2608, 3348, 3715, 4105, 4603, 5399), mill lease (1932, 3234, 3259, 3682, 4277, 5550, 5786), shops on monastery property (3208, 4354, 4488), lease of a tavern (3418), and rent of a cellar (4143).
The second group includes documents on the collection of money from Jews by Catholic Church institutions (1564, 1567), and monetary claims by Jews to Catholic Church institutions (1587, 1729).
The third group includes cases on land sale, petition, and refusal to sell land (4077, 4854, 5180, 5195, 5216, 5224, 5397, 5829, and 5947).
The fourth group concerns cases of building on the territory of church institutions (1537, 1745, 2481, 2748, 4074, 4313, and 5533).
The fifth group includes cases of conflicts over Jewish buildings and Jewish activities near Catholic Church institutions (97, 1163, 1165, 1346, 1636, 1815, 4282, 4299, and 7059).
The sixth group provides information on land disputes (2913, 3327, 3391, 5268, 5570, and 5704).
The seventh group is connected to insults inflicted by Jews (3347, 3351).
The last group of documents includes cases on the evasion of recruitment by Jews (1134), abolition of kahal (257) and apostasy from Judaism (6409).
Most of the files of the fourth inventory deal with change of religion. There are documents on successful and unsuccessful conversions from Judaism. There are cases on conversion from Judaism to Catholicism and prosecution for deviation from Catholicism (2079, 2610, 6784), return to Judaism (3551, 7310, 7983), conversion from Judaism to Lutheranism, (7348, 7961), a failed conversion from Judaism to Catholicism as the convert had previously converted to Orthodoxy (2690, 2750), allocation of money for the maintenance of persons ready to convert to Catholicism (2168), and conversion of Karaites to Catholicism (1713, 2328).
Other documents included in inventory number 5 are dedicated to monetary claims by Jews against priests (1064, 1088), collecting money from Jews (1181), and priests' violence against a Jew (2118).
Inventory number 6 includes cases on conversion from Judaism to Catholicism (686, 693, and 740) and violence against Jews by clerics (72, 33).
Inventory number 7 and 8 contain cases on conversion from Judaism to Catholicism and allocation of cash benefits to newly baptised Jews in the monastery.
The ninth inventory includes cases on debts by Jews (26, 42, 233, 288, 358, 358, 543, 624-627), monetary claims of Jews to Catholic Church institutions (482, 2305), baptism of Jews (426), morality in Jewish taverns (57), lease by Jews (433), and funding an almshouse operated by the Catholic consistory (2574).
Inventory number 20 contains synagogue birth certificates (334-351, 354).
- Archival history:
- The fonds was supplemented in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2009 and 2018.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Spiritual Consistory of the Vilnius Roman Catholic Diocese was formed in 1421-1453. The consistory performed advisory functions to the episcopal administration and the court. It dealt with civil and criminal cases of priests and monks, divorce of believers, issues regarding the depletion of the foundation, and the creation and construction of churches and monasteries. It controlled the registries of births in parishes, as well as the issues regarding missionary activity amongst Jews. In 1915 the functions of the consistory passed to the curia of the Roman Catholic Metropolis of Vilnius. Jews began to convert to Christianity in the late 19th-early 20th centuries, when religious affiliation to Judaism ceased to be rigidly defined by nationality. Conversion to Christianity absolved Jews from educational and other restrictions that existed in a number of states (in the Russian Empire until 1917). Mass baptism of Jews was practiced in the era of Nicholas I, when up to 30,000 Jews were baptised. A thousand people a year converted to Orthodoxy in the era of Nicholas II. Most often, the cantonists (called up for military service) adopted the cross. Jews from the Pale of Settlement began to be recruited into the Russian army by the Tsar's decree of 26 August 1827. Cantonists received Orthodox names (according to the calendar), as well as the surname of their godparents (for example Ivanov, Petrov and Stepanov). However, some cantonists returned to Judaism after discharge.
- Finding aids:
- There is an electronic archive catalogue.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Maryia Sawicka; 2020
