Rozmiary i geografia patronatu królewskiego w diecezji chełmskiej za Zygmunta III Wazy

The Size and Geography of the Royal Patronage in the Chełm Diocese during the Reign of King Sigismund III Vasa The article is an attempt at presenting the size and distribution of the king’s patronage in Poland with a special emphasis on the situation in the Chełm diocese. Zygmunt III Vasa (1588-1632) had the right of patronage from which the right of presenting a candidate for benefices (the right of presentation) issued with respect to the most important Church offices in Poland. This first of all concerned the benefices of higher categories that gave a considerable income. Zygmunt III was the patron of all the bishoprics in Poland as well as of the important prebends in cathedral and collegiate chapters. The cathedral chapters in the Lvov province, established mostly in the 14th and 15th centuries are characterized by a considerably higher degree of participation of the king’s patronage than the chapters in the old dioceses in the Gniezno province. Also a big part of the parishes (25.4% in the Chełm diocese) were under the protection of the king and his officials. In the case of the cathedral chapters of the Gniezno province the number of prebends under the king’s patronage was smaller than of those under the bishop’s one, whereas in the case of parishes the king’s patronage was smaller than the nobility’s one. Only in a few situations can one come across the king’s right of patronage with respect to lower benefices, eg. hospital provostries. The benefices under the king’s patronage in Poland were connected with the ruler’s ownership. Hence their distribution resulted both from political events (the shape of political borders, wars) and from the social-economic situation (the course of settlement process, economic attractiveness) of particular areas which influenced the possession structure and defined the percentage of crown lands in the total area of land. The distribution of the king’s patronage in the Chełm diocese in that period can be defined as regular (1-2 royal churches in a deanery). It usually included old towns in which parish churches were founded as the first ones in the diocese. During the more than four centuries of the Chełm diecese’s existence the participation of the king’s patronage gradually decreased in favour of that of the nobility and clergy. A detailed analysis of the changes in the Chełm diocese shows that in the years 1588-1632 21 churches were first built or renovated, of which only three were connected with royal ownership. The question remains open if this process was typical of this one diocese, or of all the dioceses in Poland