Zarys dziejów klasztoru św. Michała Archanioła mniszek dominikańskich w Kamieńcu Podolskim (1708–1866)

Abstract

The outline of the history of St Michael the Archangel’s Monastery of Dominican nuns in Kamianets Podilskyi (1708–1866) The Dominican monastery in Kamianets Podilskyi was the last pre-partition foundation on Polish land established by the nuns of the Order of Preachers. Józef Mocarski, provincial prior of the Dominican Ruthenian province, in 1708 founded the monastery for the nuns of his order in the recently recovered from the Turks (on the strength of the Treaty of Karlowitz) Kamianets Podilskyi. It was the easternmost Catholic monastery. It included nuns only of noble Polish origin; they were daughters of Podolia noblemen. In 1721 the process of setting up the monastery was completed and it was also then that a small convent church was consecrated, whose patron became St Michael the Archangel (patron of Ruthenia and the Dominican Ruthenian province). The Dominican nuns from Kamianets led contemplative life in strict enclosure. The monastery did well until the decline of the Commonwealth of Poland. In 1787 the monastery was threatened with closing as part of the plans to modernize the Kamianets fortress, which was to be strengthened with the buildings of city convents. Eventually, the nuns were not displaced, as the reorganization plans were not carried out. In 1793 Kamianets Podilskyi was taken over by Russians and the partition period started. Although the monastery was wealthy, the Dominican nuns started to struggle with various problems. A crisis of vocations appeared, which in 1822 was overcome through bringing three nuns from the monastery in Novogrudok, but in 1833 the situation repeated itself. However, a monastery school was set up, which gave the nuns some financial support. In 1839 the last vestition of two nuns took place, and in 1842 on the strength of a tsar’s decree the novitiate was closed, which was an indication of the monastery’s near demise. The monastery obtained a long-range status and existed until the closure of the Kamianets diocese in 1866. Then eight Dominican nuns were sent to the Carmelite nuns of old observance in Dubno, where there was a long-range monastery. That status was lost in 1890 and then the nuns residing there were relocated to the Benedictine nuns monastery in Sandomierz. It was then that three years later the last Dominican nun from Kamianets, Joanna Austutowiczówna, died, closing the history of her convent.