The following comes from the Diplomatic Codex of the Tyniec Abbey (also the location of the Walgierz Wisuav drama). It is a papal letter of Gregory IX (May 7th, 1230) to the Brzesk Abbot, Zwierzyniec Premonstratensian (Norbertine) prior and the prior of the Cracow Dominicans to deal with the excesses of Cracow school students that they committed near the Tyniec monastery scandalizing the brethren. Maksymilian Kawczyński connected this with the Yule celebrations known from the Heimskringla but one does not need to look beyond Slavic lands to see similar entertainments – compare with the earlier letter of Innocent III and the Croatian customs:
“Gregorius episcopus servus servorum dei dilectis filiis… abbati de Bresk et… de Zverincia Praemonstratensis ordinis et… sanctae trinitatis ordinis fratrum praedicatorum prioribus Cracoviensis dioecesis salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Abbas et conventus Tinciensis sua nobis insinuatione monstrarunt, quod scholares, qui Cracoviae commorantur, imitantes quandam pravam et detestabilem consuetudinem, quae in illis partibus inolevit, in ipsorum monasteriis, festo nativitatis dominicae et per dies aliquos, qui sequuntur, comissationibus et ebrictatibus, cantilenis, ludibriis et abominationibus aliis insistentes usque ad effusionem sanguinis rixantur ad invicem, bona ipsorum diripiunt ac alias ludificationes committunt horribiles et obscoenas, unde monasteria ipsa laedunt enormiter, fratrum quietem perturbant et corda ipsorum plurimum scandalizantur. Quia igitur ex iniuncto nobis officio domus dei zelus nos comedit et, ne opprobria exprobrantium sibi super nos cadere dignoscantur, discretioni vestrae per apostolica scripta mandamus, quatenus scholares eosdem a talibus, monitione praemissa, per censuram ecclesiasticam sublato apellationis obstaculo compescatis. Quod si non omnes his exsequendis potueritis interesse, duo vestrum ea nihilominus exsequantur. Datum Laterani nonis Maii, pontificatus nostri anno quarto.”
“To the abbot and convent of Tyniec, we bring to your attention that students that stay in Cracow, imitating the wrong and detestable custom that exists in their country in their monasteries, on the day of the birth of the Lord and on other days that follow, engage in orgies and drunkenness, songs, mockeries and other abominations and brawl with one another solely to spill blood, destroying their goods as well as committing other horrible and obscene mockeries, thereby inflicting enormous suffering on the monastery, disturbing the monks’ peace and providing offense to the hearts of many of the monks.”
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