Przyczynek do badań jezuickiego martyrologium

Abstract

The first catalogs covering the biographies of the Jesuits who were killed for faith were published in the early seventeenth century. It was a reaction to the growing number of religious who gave their lives during the persecution in various parts of the world. Not without significance was the fact that in the first years of this century their number reached one hundred. Publication titles refer to this thread, e.g. Centuria Religiosorum Societatis Iesu, qui hactenus ab Ethnicis, Mahumetanis, haereticis, aliisque impiis, pro Catholica fide ac pietate interempti sunt (1608) and Centuria prima. Das erste hundert der Geistlichen und Ordenspersonen (1605). The texts of all martyrs’ lists are similar. Interestingly, they also had artistic versions – engravings with images of Jesuits. The first catalogs were then supplemented and developed in new ways. Phillippus Alegambe and Joannes Nadasi had particular achievements in this sphere.

Keywords

• catalogs of martyrs; Jesuits killed for faith; the first hundred martyrs of the Society of Jesus; persecution of Catholics in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries