Šiluva parish in the 17th century

The Implementation of the Council of Trent programme made parishes of the Lithuanian Catholic Church flourish in the 17th century. The foundation of the Šiluva church previously seized by Calvinists was returned to Catholics in 1622. Through the 17th century, most important traditions of devotion and their ways of expression took shape in Šiluva. The Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1608 turned the parish into one of the most important religious centers in Lithuania. This article discusses the growth of material facilities of the parish and evolution of devotional practices. The research is based on the visitation of the bishop Kazimieras Pacas in 1677, on the documents from the Šiluva archives and on other sources. The Šiluva parish was one of the richest in Samogitia in the 17th century. Up to 52 families of serfs (in Polish dym) belonged to it. Samogitian bishops had the right of patronage. They always paid special attention to Šiluva. The priests of the Šiluva parish through the 17th century who contributed the most to the florescence of the parish were the canon of Samogitia Jonas Kazakevičius Smolka (till 1646), the procurator of Samogitian capitula Mikalojus Sviechovskis (till 1672) and the canon of Samogitia Joakimas Skirmantas. They always had many collaborators who helped them in material and devotional issues. A new church was built in Šiluva just after the retrieval of the foundation. In 1641, it was replaced by a larger wooden cross-shaped parochial church. The miraculous image The Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child was kept in the High altar. On the sides there were the altars of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross. The latter was founded around 1643 by Gabrielius Klausgaila Skaraitis.[...]Istorijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta