Fraternal movements

Brotherly movements - a kind of spontaneously created, local religious secular corporations within the Catholic Church (the so-called Confraternity).

The population of different states was organized according to the territorial key. The members of these confreres prayed together and took care of the funeral of the confreres. These communities, however, were different from each other, some were associated with monasteries, others remained autonomous. A separate group consisted of penitents.

Penitents fought with blood on the upper part of the right arm and back, begging God for the redemption of sins. The whipping was identified with the chastisement of Christ, and the whip became a highly valued instrument of penance. Members of the Brethren's movements also observed raw posts and wore hairs on the naked body, some were wearing iron rims, and some were carrying real bracelets.

Religious secular corporations were part of the church organization. They had a close relationship with the temples, apart from them, because they were the legacy of the church. Brotherhoods were also established in Poland, including in Cracow. In the fifteenth century, the fraternities formed first in the churches of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Stephen, then at the Church of All Saints and the Holy Cross. These groups were very well organized, they had their managers, the number of which fluctuated in individual corporations from 2 to 6. They were elected from among the oldest members by annual election, but it happened that the eldest brachies held office for several years. / p>

Elderly bracces were strictly defined, their duty was to watch over the condition of the fraternal economy and to preserve the internal organizational discipline. Older people were subjected to money that affected the treasury through contributions from members as well as from other sources. They also had these incomes, were able to make their own financial decisions, and the only form of supervision over their actions was the obligation to report once a year on the property status of the fraternity.

By the middle of the sixteenth century, seven fraternities were established in Cracow, four of which were connected with parish churches and three with monasteries. In the 15th century the city was divided into five districts of territorial administration; St. Mary's parish was the largest of them, and there were three fraternities in her area. The members of the Cracovian fraternities up to the fourteenth century, as evidenced by the sources, came from quite wealthy social strata. They were craftsmen, mayors, and members of their families. Lack of sufficient information in the documents makes it impossible to know when the fraternities opened up for the poorest of the city, but it is known that relief was given to the poor members. The regulations provided for the provision of a certain amount of money to the poor brothers to meet their first needs. However, this support was sporadic.

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