Inventories of the Jesuit colleges as the source for the research on Old Polish education

On the basis of nineteen preserved inventories of Jesuit seats in which public schools operated, the article discusses the shape and equipment of college rooms. Prior to the dissolution of the Society of Jesus, which took place in 1773, the above mentioned college rooms constituted mainly detached buildings; sometimes they were situated in the main building of the college which was not part of the enclosure. College buildings played various roles, which often went beyond teaching: they served as meeting places of students’ congregations, theatrical performances, students’ performances, etc. As a result of the reform of Jesuit education the collections of physical- mathematical teaching aids were created, particularly in the colleges where philosophy was taught to Jesuit scholars. Th e evidence for the modernization of Jesuit education was the presence of course books concerning newly introduced school subjects in the Jesuit library. Such subjects included history and experimental physics, which was treated as part of the so called philosophia recentiorum