The Theatine Order was the smallest male religious community in Poland before the Partitions. They founded only two houses (called colleges): Lviv and Warsaw. The Order was introduced to Warsaw in 1696 by the Bishop of Warsaw, Jan Stanis³aw Zbąski. They were all of Italian origin. The college in Warsaw was run by rectors, the most famous of whom, Antoni Maria Portalupi, was a close friend of King Stanis³aw Poniatowski. In addition to their pastoral work, the Theatines were active in science, literature and education. They wrote, among other things
They wrote, among other things, numerous treatises on philosophy, theology, morals, law and church history. The Congregation was particularly known for its educational work. In the beginning, the Theatines taught Varsovians privately, but soon they opened a college where they accepted the sons of nobles and magnates. In 1737 they transformed the house into the Collegium Nobilium, the first college of its kind in Poland, modelled on similar institutions in Western Europe. The Collegium Nobilium flourished during the reigns of Augustus III and Stanislaw August Poniatowski. The decline of the Collegium Nobilium began at the end of the 18th century. This was mainly due to a steady decrease in the number of students. The students of the Theatines came mainly from the wealthy Poniatowski and Rzewuski families. The Theatines created their own educational model based on the educational experience of the Jesuits.