Celebransi chrztów i ślubów w parafii św. Jana Chrzciciela w Warszawie w latach 1583–1700 (na podstawie ksiąg metrykalnych)

The article is based on the registers of the St. John’s the Baptist parish in the Old Warsaw (1583–1700), that were kept in the Archives of the Archdiocese of Warsaw. The specificity of this parish was the multiplicity and diversity of working there priests. In the collegiate church of St. John, which was the parish church of Old Warsaw town, a total of 283 priests celebrated weddings and baptisms during described period. Among them 123 (43.5%) were vicars, 43 (15.2%) prelates and canons of the collegiate church, 24 (6%) lower vicars at the collegiate, and 17 (6.0%) prelates and canons from other churches. At the same time 15 representatives (5,3%) of the higher clergy (bishops suffragan, officials, etc.) were celebrants. In addition, small number of monks from the religious monasteries in Warsaw (10 persons, ie. 3.5%) acted as celebrants. Celebrants became also other members of the parish clergy. Baptisms and marriages were given by 12 (4.3%) psalterists, 5 (1.7%) acolytes and 8 (2.8%) other priests of that parish church, and 26 (9.2%) from outside that parish. The main responsibilities of the sacraments were laid on the lower parish clergy, vicars and their deputies. The very special baptisms and weddings (of magnates, the nobility or patricians of the city of Warsaw) were attended by the higher clergy of the collegiate church of Warsaw and bishops from Poznan. Capital character of Warsaw city meant too that among the celebrants appeared priests associated with the royal court and courts of magnates.