Parish churches in Vilnius in the light of the reports on the state of the diocese and the statutes of Vilnius synods (16th-18th century)

The parish structure in the Vilnius diocese was formed relatively late. The ill-developed parish network made governing the diocese and pastoral work at the parishes difficult both in Vilnius - the capital of the diocese - and outside of it. A great help in pastoral work was provided by religious orders, whose members were actively involved in working with the faithful. Parishes were formed around their churches, especially those that had hospitals. Religious parishes were also formed in Vilnius. The question of forming parishes in the capital of the Great Duchy of Lithuania has not hitherto been researched in detail. We can find important information on the subject in the acts of the Vilnius synods, where, as it turns out, decisions relevant for pastoral work at parishes were made. At the synod of 1685 three new religious parishes were established in the suburbs of Vilnius at the churches of St. Stephen, St. Joseph and St. Nicodemus and Bartholomew. The synod precisely defined the extent of their jurisdiction. The decisions of this synod were confirmed at the diocesan synod of 1744. There is also a significant amount of important data on parish churches in Vilnius contained in the reports on the state of the diocese sent by the Vilnius bishops to Rome. These reports confirm and compliment the data on parish churches in Vilnius contained in the above-mentioned synod statutes.AWSD w Białymstoku99-11