Poznań, Archdiocese of

POZNAŃ, ARCHDIOCESE OF. - City and archdiocese in Poland, founded in 968. A suffragan of Gniezno until 1821. In that year, with the bull De salute animarum, Pope Pius VII raised it to a metropolitan see and united it to Gniezno, from which it was separated on 1 May 1946 pro hac vice. The first bishop was Jordan.

The diocese has an area of 18,700 sq km, with 1,250,000 Catholics distributed among 376 parishes, 705 churches (of which 376 are parish churches and 105 are chapels of ease), served by 401 diocesan priests and 102 religious. It has a major seminary, 16 male religious houses and 24 female ones. During the last war 44 churches were destroyed (of which 9 were of historic value), 36 were damaged, 411 were closed forever; 212 diocesan priests perished.

Until the 13th century the diocese of P. was divided into two archdeaconries: that of P. and that of Czersk; from the 15th century into four: those of P., Srem, Pszczew and Warsaw; from this archdeaconry the diocese of Warsaw was founded in 1798. Pilgrimage centers are: Borek, Górka Duchowa, Mikorzyn, Tulce. Among the notable churches are remembered: the cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, of 968, rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries and in 1826; where the royal chapel in Byzantine style is found, with the tombs of the first rulers of Poland: Mieszko I and Bolesław Chrobry, first king of Poland; the church of St. John of Jerusalem, of the Knights of Malta brought there in 1176; that of St. Adalbert of the 13th century, rebuilt in the 16th century; that of St. Martin of 1246, rebuilt in the 16th century; that of St. Mary Magdalene of 1470. The Seminary was founded in 1572. The city of P. is one of the oldest in Poland. There is the Palace of the archbishops, of the 15th century, rebuilt in 1732. Among the eminent bishops are remembered: Wawrzyniec, d. 1127; A. Laskary z Gosławic, who took part in the Council of Constance, d. 1426; Uryel Górka, d. 1498; Jan VII Lubrański, founder of the «Lubranschianum Athaeneum» in 1520, d. 1520; P. Tomicki (1464-1536), later bishop of Kraków, statesman; A. Szoldrski (1583-1650), first bishop of Kiev, afterward of Przemyśl; A. Konarski, d. 1574; W. Goślicki, writer and orator, d. 1607; A. Opaliński (1575-1623); S. Hozjusz (1673-1738), first bishop of Livonia, then of Kamieniec; T. Gorzeński (1741-1825), first archbishop of P. and Gniezno; L. Przyłuski (1789-1865); Card. M. Halka Ledóchowski (v.). At Wysoczko was born Fr. Raffaele Chylinski (1694-1741), whose cause for canonization is in progress.

Adam Macielinski