Jesuit college

The first school in Poznań was established already 50 years after the founding of the city. It was affiliated with St Mary Magdalene collegiate church. After graduating from it, many members of the local gentry and bourgeoisie (including later mayors Kasper Goski and Józef Struś) attended the Lubrański Academy on Cathedral Island. However, at the end of the 16th century, the level of teaching at both schools was rather low. Thus, many Poznań students would travel to Germany to study.

At that time one Poznań bishop invited the Jesuit order to the city. Its role was to stop the Protestant movement in Poznań but the process of achieving this goal left mark not only on religious life.

In 1575 Jesuits opened a school in Poznań. Their college turned out to be a breakthrough in the municipal education system. Education at this school was free. At first, some 300 students attended it but soon this number reached 800. The high level of teaching and the lack of competition contributed to the fact that not only Catholics but also Protestants sent their sons to study at the Jesuit school. Sometimes, this resulted in Protestant students converting to Catholicism.

The Jesuit college in Poznań provided the highest level of education in the Wielkopolska Region. Several attempts were made to turn the institution into a university, photo by Piotr Skórnicki

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Recipe for success according to Jesuits

The college in Poznań followed the guidelines developed in Rome. These pertained to both the curriculum and the teaching methods and served as a model for dozens of Jesuit schools in Europe and the rest of the world.

The purpose of the education at the college was to shape students’ character and morality. Students were to be, first and foremost, faithful Catholics, resisting the temptation to accept the latest religious trends. Jesuits avoided using encyclopaedic knowledge in their teaching. They focused on grammar and the art of public speaking. In the 18th century colleges became famous also for their physics and astronomy laboratories.

Among the prominent lecturers of the Poznań college were also Poles. Its first rector was Jakub Wujek, who later translated the Bible. Then, the position was taken by Józef Rogaliński, an outstanding astronomer and physicist. The college employed also foreign professors from Italy, Spain, France and England.

Both Poles and foreigners contributed to the success of the Poznań college. It was achieved not only thanks to the faculty but also due to the curriculum which was enriched with local elements. For instance, Jesuit theatre developed in Poznań on an unprecedented scale.

Okładka podręcznika do łaciny z osiemnastego wieku

Grammaticarum institutionum, a Latin textbook used in Jesuit schools all over the world. In Poland it was known as ‘alwar’ – the term was inspired by the surname of the author – a Portuguese Jesuit Manuel Álvares. The first Polish edition was published in Poznań (1577), public domain

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Jesuit college
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