Bull of Pope Urban VIII to the Nuncio in Poland regarding the Hospital of St. Elizabeth in Lviv

[In the header, an ornate, calligraphic border with floral and grotesque motifs:] Urban, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God, to our beloved son and Nuncio of the Apostolic See residing in the Kingdom of Poland, greetings and apostolic blessing. The Roman Bishop, concerned with fatherly love for the support of the poor and the sick, willingly, when requested, orders the addition of the power of apostolic confirmation to that which—as it is said—has been prudently done for this purpose, so that it may remain unshaken and inviolate forever. For the petition recently submitted to us in the name of our beloved sons, the current councilors and citizens of the city of Lviv, contained that once the then-councilors and citizens of the said city, moved by pious love for the poor, founded in the same city one hospital under the name and in honor of Saint Elizabeth for the reception of the poor, pilgrims, the sick, and the destitute gathering there as time passed, and endowed it exclusively from secular goods, yet under the conditions and provisions described below, namely, that they themselves and the current councilors and citizens of the said city would choose and appoint the leadership, governance, and administration of the said hospital through one secular rector called a provisor, who would be obliged to receive persons arriving at the given time to the same hospital, treat them piously, and satisfy their needs according to the resources of the said hospital, and regarding what was done and managed by him concerning those matters, to render an account to those same councilors and citizens, and to no one else, and who could be appointed to the office according to the will of those councilors and citizens and whenever they deem it appropriate, and in his place another could be appointed, removable at their will, just as they have hitherto chosen and appointed in the aforementioned manner and form. Furthermore, those same councilors and citizens established one called a magister and certain other clerics or priests as perpetual chaplains in the church of the same Saint Elizabeth, located at the said hospital and founded for the use of the same hospital by the said councilors and citizens, exclusively for the administration of church sacraments to the poor, pilgrims, the sick, and other worthy destitute persons in the said hospital and for the celebration of services, and not for dealing with other matters of the same hospital, assigning to them for their appropriate maintenance certain goods, benefits, and revenues completely detached and separated from the goods, benefits, and revenues of the said rector-provisor, which goods should always and forever be so detached and separated. And because, as the same supplication added, so that a hospital of this kind does not gradually fall into ruin, but gains greater growth day by day both in spiritual and temporal matters, it contributes not a little that what was prudently, as stated above, ordered and established, should be strengthened by the care and protection of the Apostolic See. Therefore, in the name of the current said councilors and citizens, we were humbly begged that we might deign to provide in the above matters in the proper way out of apostolic benevolence. We, therefore, by these presents releasing the said councilors and individual persons from them and from the same city from all sentences of excommunication, suspension, and interdict and other ecclesiastical sentences, censures, and penalties imposed by law or by man for any occasion or cause, if they are in any way bound by any, only for the purpose of achieving the effect of this letter, and considering them released, acceding to these requests, we order Your Prudence by apostolic letter, since—as the said current councilors and citizens claim—a dispute of great importance is taking place between our venerable brother the Archbishop of Lviv on one side and them on the other, that you approve and strengthen the foundation and endowment mentioned above and everything that was done, arranged, and established concerning them and the government and administration of the hospital, as said above, together with all and individual things legally resulting and to result therefrom, by our authority, and grant them the power of perpetual and inviolable apostolic confirmation, and supply all and individual defects, both legal and factual, and concerning solemn forms and others, however essential, if any of them have converged in any way; and [declare] that all these and individual things are and will be perpetually valid and effective, and should be perpetually and inviolably observed and fulfilled by them themselves and by the individual persons whom it concerns, will concern, or may in any way concern in the future, and that at no time under any pretext, for any occasion or cause is it permitted to depart or withdraw from them. And thus, and not otherwise, should it be judged and decided by any ordinary or delegated judges and auditors of the Apostolic Palace and cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, legates a latere and nuncios of the said See, and if anything contrary in these matters by anyone, by any authority, knowingly or out of ignorance were to be undertaken, you declare by the said authority as void and ineffective. Notwithstanding the above or any apostolic constitutions and ordinances, as well as those issued in provincial synods and general councils, special or general, and all other contrary ones. We wish, however, that those who are to be appointed at any given time to administer church sacraments to the sick of the same hospital must first obtain the approval of the Ordinary, and not otherwise. Given in Rome at Saint Mary Major, in the year of the Lord's Incarnation one thousand six hundred and twenty-six, [on the third day before the Ides?] of December, in the fourth year of our pontificate. [Below the plica, on the left and right, signatures/notes of the chancery officials:] [L.s.:] Geb[...] L. s[...] as twenty-four and s[...] [P.s.:] Jo. Franciscus, protonotary [?] vigill[...] [In the fold / plica:] [On the left:] 24 [On the right, monograms/paraphs:] emoign[...] 117 [Seal:] [Lead papal bull of Urban VIII suspended on a hemp cord. Obverse: images of the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul separated by a cross, above them the letters: SPA SPE. Reverse: VRBANVS PAPA VIII] [Verso:] [Various chancery and archival notes from the 17th–19th centuries:] [Note with date:] Year 1626 [Numbering:] B [Note:] Registered [...] [Ink stamp:] ARCHIVE OF ANCIENT ACTS OF THE CITY OF LVIV

[W nagłówku ozdobna, kaligrafowana bordiura z motywami roślinnymi i groteskowymi:] Urbanus ep[iscopu]s servus servor[um] Dei dilecto filio n[ost]ro et [sedis] ap[ostoli]ce nuntio in [r]egno [P]olonie comoranti salt[em] [et] ap[ostoli]cam ben[edictionem]. [R]omanus Pontifex circa pauperum et infirmor[um] subventionem paterna charitate sollicitus illa que propterea provise facta fuisse dicuntur ut perpetuo firma et illibata persistant libenter cum a se petitur aplici mandat adici muniminis firmitatem. Exhibita siquidem nobis nuper pro parte dilectorum filior[um] modernorum Consulum et Civium Civitatis Leopolien[sis] petitio continebat, q[uo]d ali[as] tunc existentes Consules et Cives p[re]f[a]te Civitatis pia erga pauperes charitate ducti unum Hospitale sub denominatione et in honorem s[an]c[t]e Elisabethae pro pauperibus, peregrinis, infirmis et miserabilibus personis ad illud pro tempore confluentibus excipiendis in d[ic]ta Civitate fundarunt et de bonis mere laicalibus dotarunt sub infrascriptis tamen conditionibus et ordinationibus, videlicet q[uo]d ipsi ac pro t[em]pore existentes d[ic]te Civitatis Consules et Cives p[redic]ti Hospitalis regimen, gubernium et administrationem per unum laicum Rectorem provisorem nuncupatum qui personas ad idem Hospitale pro tempore divertentes recipere pieq[ue] tractare et eis necessaria juxta d[ic]ti Hospitalis facultates ministrare ac de per eum circa illa gestis et administratis eisdem Consulibus et Civibus et non aliis rationem reddere teneretur, quiq[ue] ad ipsorum Consulum et Civium nutum et quandocumq[ue] eis videretur amoveri aliusq[ue] et ad eorum nutum amovibilis in eius locum suffici posset eligerent et deputarent prout hac[tenu]s modo et forma p[re]misis elegerunt et deputarunt. Preterea vero iidem Consules et Cives unum Magistrum nuncupatum et quosdam alios clericos seu p[res]b[yte]ros in perpetuos Capellanos in eccl[es]ia eiusdem s[an]c[t]e Elisabethae juxta p[redic]tum Hospitale ex[ist]ente et ad usum e[ius]d[em] Hospitalis per Consules et Cives p[re]d[ic]tos fundata pro Sacramentis ecclesiasticis pauperibus peregrinis infirmis et aliis miserabilibus personis b[e]n[e]m[em]o[r]i in d[ic]to Hospitali ministrandis alijsque divinis officiis duntaxat et non alijs d[ic]ti Hospitalis rebus pertractandis assignatis eis pro eorum congrua sustentatione nonnullis bonis fructibus et redditibus a bonis fructibus et redditibus d[ic]ti Rectoris provisoris omnino separatis et distinctis que ita semper et perpetuo distincta et separata esse debeant instituerunt. Cum autem sicut eadem petitio subiungebat ne Hospitale h[uiu]s[mod]i paulatim corruat sed ut maiora in dies tam in sp[irit]ualibus q[uam] temporalibus incrementa suscipiat non parum expediat ea que provide ut p[re]fertur ordinata et stabilita fuerunt a[p]o[stoli]ce et sedis aplice patrocinio et munimine roborari. Quare pro parte modernorum Consulum et Civium p[re]dictorum nobis fuit humiliter supplicatum quatenus in premissis opportune providere de benignitate aplica dignaremur. Nos ig[itu]r Consules p[re]d[ic]tos eor[um]q[ue] ac Civitatis h[uiu]s[mod]i singulares personas a quibusvis exco[mmunicati]o[n]is suspensionis et interdicti alijsque eccl[esiast]icis sententijs censuris et penis a jure vel ab homine quavis occ[asi]one vel causa latis si quibus q[uo]m[od]olibet innodati existunt ad eff[ectu]m p[rese]ntium duntaxat consequendum harum serie absolventes et absolutos fore censentes h[uiu]s[mod]i supplicationibus inclinati Discretioni tue cum sicut moderni Consules et Cives p[re]fati asserunt inter venerabilem fr[atr]em n[ost]rum archiepiscopum Leopolien[sem] ex una ac ipsos ex altera partibus lis pendeat super re gravimomenti per aplica scripta mandamus q[uat]enus fundationem et dotationem p[re]d[ic]tas ac omnia circa illa deiq[ue] Hospitalis regimen et gubernium ut p[re]fertur facta ordinata et instituta cum omnibus et singulis inde legitime secutis et sequendis auct[orita]te n[ost]ra approbes et confirmes illisq[ue] perpetue et inviolabilis aplice firmitatis robur adijcias ac omnes et singulos tam juris q[uam] facti ac solennitatum et alios quantumvis substantiales defectus si qui forsan desuper q[uo]m[od]olibet intervenerint suppleas, illaq[ue] omnia et singula perpetuo valida et efficacia esse et fore ac ab eis et singulis quorum interest intererit aut interesse poterit q[uo]m[od]olibet in futurum perpetuo et inviolabiliter observari et adimpleri debere nec ab illis ullo unq[uam] tempore quovis pretextu occ[asi]one vel causa recedi seu resiliri posse. Sicq[ue] et non al[ite]r per quoscumq[ue] Judices ordinarios vel delegatos et causaz [=causarum] Palatij aplici Auditores et s[an]c[t]e Romane eccl[es]ie Cardinales et de latere Legatos et sedis p[re]d[ic]te Nuntios judicari et diffiniri debere ac si secus super his a quoq[uam] quavis auct[orita]te scienter vel ignoranter contigerit attentari irritum et inane d[ic]ta auct[orita]te decernas. Non obstantibus premissis nequibusvis aplicis necnon in sinodalibus provincialibusque et universalibus Concilijs editis specialibus vel generalibus constitutionibus et ordinationibus ceterisq[ue] contrarijs quibuscumq[ue]. Volumus autem q[uo]d ad administrationem Sacramentor[um] eccl[esi]asticor[um] infirmis eiusdem Hospitalis pro tempore nominandi prius ab Ordinario approbari debeant et non al[ite]r. Dat[um] Rome apud Sanctam Mariam Maiorem Anno Incarnationis dominice Millesimo sexcentesimo vigesimo sexto [Tertio Idus?] Decembris Pontificatus nostri Anno Quarto. [Poniżej pliki, po lewej i po prawej podpisy/noty urzędników kancelarii:] [L.s.:] Geb[...] L. s[...] tan[quam] vigintiquatuor & s[...] [P.s.:] Jo. Franciscus prot[onotarius?] vigill[...] [W zagięciu pliki / plica:] [Po lewej:] 24 [Po prawej monogramy/parafy:] emoign[...] 117 [Pieczęć:] [Ołowiana bulla papieska Urbana VIII zawieszona na konopnym sznurze. Awers: wizerunki głów św. Piotra i Pawła przedzielone krzyżem, nad nimi litery: SPA SPE. Rewers: VRBANVS PAPA VIII] [Verso:] [Różne noty kancelaryjne i archiwalne z XVII-XIX w.:] [Nota z datą:] A[nn]o 1626 [Numeracja:] B [Nota:] Reg[estr]ata [...] [Pieczęć tuszowa:] ARCHIWUM AKT DAWNYCH MIASTA LWOWA