Nieznany polski modlitewnik z oficyny Mateusza Siebeneichera – ostatni taki hortulus?

Abstract

This article discusses a previously unknown Polish prayer book of the Hortulus Animae type, discovered in the collections of the National Library of Sweden (Strängnäs). It was printed by Mateusz Siebeneicher’s Krakow publishing house and can be dated to the years 1568–1575. The copy bears numerous traces of use and censorship, making it a unique testimony to religious practices and the control of prayer content after the Council of Trent. Typographic and content analysis allowed us to confirm the print’s origin and link it to Siebeneicher’s other works. Particular attention was paid to the Officium Parvum Beatae Mariae Virginis (hours), whose text proved to be similar to the text of Olbracht Gasztołd’s Prayer Book, proving the existence of a common handwritten or printed source. An important element are the so-called indulgence prayers, texts promising the faithful extremely extensive graces and indulgences (often dating back tens of thousands of years). These prayers were at the center of theological disputes and the subject of censorship. The Strängnäs copy contains numerous traces of the deliberate removal of such content in accordance with the council’s decrees, allowing us to trace the practical means by which prayer books were cleansed of prohibited content. The author concludes that the discovered prayer book is the only known Polish hortulus from before the Tridentine reforms preserved in such good condition. This copy attests to both the popularity of indulgence prayers in Poland and the process of their subsequent elimination. Furthermore, it supplements current knowledge about both Siebeneicher’s publishing activities as well as the functioning of prayer books in 16th-century religious culture, demonstrating the continuity of devotional practices despite official censorship.