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Vol. 65 (1986): Our Past

Miscellanea

Piety in a time of fear. The earthquake in Lesser Poland in 1786

  • Jan Kracik
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52204/np.1986.65.267-274  [Google Scholar]
Published: 1986-06-30

Abstract

In 1786, there was an earthquake in Lesser Poland, which caused panic in Kraków. This event was described by a correspondent of "Gazeta Warszawska", who reported the tremors and their effects, such as swaying tenement houses, cracks in the ground and moving towers. Similar phenomena also occurred in other places, such as Silesia, Opava, Vienna, Myślenice, Żywiec and Bielsko. People were terrified, they ran away from buildings and even from inns during dances. In response to these events, church authorities organized supplications and called for prayers and penance. Religiosity rose to the surface in the wake of the earthquake, but some people approached these phenomena more rationally. These events were also part of a difficult time in terms of nature, when the rain stopped, crop failure threatened, and people struggled with hunger and disease. Church authorities called for piety and charitable activities, emphasizing the need for conversion and avoidance of sins. Given human fears of the forces of nature, interpretations of disasters were a mixture of magic, fear of divine punishment and the need for active community action in the face of the approaching danger.

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