Post-Tridentine Catholic Piety and Forms of Devotional Practices in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Summary The article concerns the Polish religiosity and piety of the post-Tridentine era, combining nova et vetera, elements inherited from old centuries and entirely new. On the one hand, the religiosity of that period was based on the heritage of the late Middle Ages, on the other — it introduced elements of new piety and expanded certain forms of worship. The article describes various forms of the cult of the Passion of Christ, Calvarian devotions, ascetic practices, Marian piety and the area of hagiography. It focuses primarily on the Polish features of post-Tridentine religiosity, but also introduces the European context to indicate broader experience in this field, to draw attention to the national uniqueness and universality of Polish Catholicism, and to emphasise its dialogue with Europe.