The formation of deaneries of Vilnius Diocese started in the 16th century. J. Ochmański found out that Vilnius Diocese originally was divided into the keys (klucz) of Trakai, Maišiagala, Antakalnis, Medininkai and Rudamina. In 1631, Vilnius Synod divided the diocese into deaneries. As a result, there appeared the Kaunas deanery which included 16 parishes. In 1669, Vilnius Synod made final modifications in the number of deaneries and parishes. The Kaunas deanery at the end of the 17th century included churches in Kaunas, Kaunakiemis, Jieznas, Aukštadvaris, Semeliškės, Žiežmariai, Žasliai, Paparčiai with filia in Kazokiškės, Karmėlava, Lapės, Gegužinė, Lipnikai (Skaruliai), Rumšiškės, Kietaviškės, Stakliškės with filia in Užuguostis, Darsūniškis, Prienai with filia in Birštonas, Vandžiogala and its filia in Babtai. The article focuses on these 22 Catholic churches of the Kaunas deanery, with the aim to show the peculiarities of the foundation of churches in the Kaunas deanery in the 15th–17th centuries. The most important sources of this work were the privileges of church foundations found in Lithuanian and Polish libraries and archives, as well as, inventories, visitations, minutes of synods and other documents. In Kaunas region, the first churches were founded by Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. Unfortunately, his privileges given to Kaunas and Darsūniškis have not survived. Aleksandras provided new privileges to these two churches, as well as to a new church in Semeliškės. Sigismund the Old was very energetic in creating new parishes. He founded churches of Žiežmariai, Aukštadvaris and Karmėlava. Nobles also participated in this process. In the 15th– 16th centuries, they founded churches in Užuguostis (Jonas Daugirdavičius, before 1495), in Gegužinė (Grigalius Astikas, before 1507), in Žasliai (Načas, about 1513), in Lipnikai / Skaruliai (Mikalojus and Magdalena Stankovičius, beginning of the 16th century) and in Paparčiai (maybe Kiškos, before 1522). The church of the Holly Cross in Kaunas was founded by the townswoman Darata Nabowa in 1510. It is not known who founded churches in Kietaviškės, Rumšiškės and Birštonas, because these churches were ruined during the period of Reformation together with their original privileges. At the beginning of the 16th century till the end of the 3rd decade, the process of church foundations in Kaunas region was most intensive. Even 12 churches appeared in that period. This process was ruined by the Protestant Reformation. The next vigorous wave of church foundations was at the end of the 16th century and in the first half of the 17th century. At that time, the Catholic Church started recovering after the impulse of the Trident reform. As a result, ruined churches were restored, and new ones were founded in Stakliškės (Sigismund Vasa, 1593), Prienai, Kazokiškės, Lapės, Jieznas and Vandžiogala (the founders were nobles).

Numeriai:

2011 - T.57
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2010 - T.56
Nr.1-4

2009 - T.55
Nr.1-2, Nr.3-4

2008 - T.54
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2007 - T.53
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2006
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2005
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2004
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2003
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2002
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4

2001
Nr.1, Nr.2, Nr.3, Nr.4