Maciej Smoleński, Melsztyn: On the Castle and Its Lords, on the Church and Its Priests [1888]

Title: Melsztyn: On the Castle and Its Lords, On the Church and Its Priests, with an Appendix on Domosławice.

Author: Rev. Maciej Smoleński (1832–1899) [parish priest of Domosławice, author of works on the history of churches and castles in Lesser Poland and the Dobrzyń region]

Publisher: At the Printing House of Wł. L. Anczyc and Company, managed by Jan Gadowski. Published by the author, Kraków

Year of publication: 1888.

Format: 22 cm.

Volume: 150 pp. + four genealogical tables.

Binding: Paperback, paper cover, standard publication format.

The castle in Melsztyn on the Dunajec River, built in the 14th century, served for a century and a half as the seat of the Leliwit-Melsztyn family—one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom during the reigns of Casimir the Great and the House of Anjou; the family’s most famous member was Spytek of Melsztyn, court marshal (1373), voivode of Kraków (1381), and starost of Kraków (1389). In the 19th century, the castle fell into ruin, and its stone was used, among other things, to build the brick church in Domosławice; in 1885, the Lanckoroński family opened a tourist lodge in the castle courtyard, and a year later they sold the estate, obligating the new owners to protect the castle from complete ruin. Published in 1888 by the author himself, Father Maciej Smoleński’s work traces the history of the castle and its successive owners, through the history of the church and its parish priests, to an appendix on Domosławice; it is supplemented by four genealogical tables. To this day, the monograph remains the primary source on the history of the Domosławice parish.

The author, Father Maciej Smoleński (1832–1899), who had ties to Płock, took over the parish in Domosławice on the Dunajec River on June 7, 1876. He made significant contributions to the parish’s financial well-being—the church owes him its new organ, organist’s residence, and shelter for the poor, and in 1888 he consecrated the new school building. He was the author of works on the history of churches: as early as 1858, he published “A Description of the Parish Church in Lipno,” and in 1869, “Four Churches in the Dobrzyń Region,” dedicated to the churches and monastery in Obory, Ruż, Dulsk, and Dobrzyń.

The provenance of this piece remains unknown—the volume bears no institutional stamps or ownership inscriptions and has been preserved in its original published form, as a plain paperback.

This item is of interest to researchers of the history of Lesser Poland, genealogists studying the Leliwit and Lanckoroński families, and collectors of regional monographs and literature on castles.

The text block is intact and complete, including four genealogical tables; the pages are clean, and the paper has minor natural spots. The paper cover is in good condition but is coming away from the text block.

Catalog ID: 10740-22-A-X