The article concerns the earliest period in the history of the Galician Province of the Sisters of Charity. The province was established in Lviv in 1783, and in 1859 the provincial house and its management moved to Krakow. Administrative continuity was maintained, but the name of the province was changed to the Krakow Province of the Sisters of Charity. The author of the article consulted source material in the archives of the Congregation in Kraków, Warsaw, Przeworsk, Moszczany and the diocesan archives in Lubaczów and Lublin. Some information about the Congregation's activities can also be found in contemporary press articles. On the basis of all these sources, it was possible to present a fairly complete outline of the organization of the province until 1859. Before the first partition (i.e. 1772) there was only one Province of the Sisters of Charity in Poland. Under the pressure of political realities, it was divided into two parts, and in the mid-19th century, a third province was established in north-western Poland. The borders of the partitions were crossed by the lines of the provincial network, and the new authorities usually hindered or even prohibited communication with the headquarters in Warsaw. The policies of Prussia, Russia and Austria towards the orders - perceived as a bulwark of Catholicism and the Polish national spirit - ranged from plans for immediate dissolution to reluctant tolerance. The Austrians spared the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, perhaps because of the reputation it had throughout Europe for its charitable work. Although things were a bit easier under Austrian rule, throughout the 19th century and throughout Poland, the sisters had to fight hard to preserve their religious and national identity. In the south of Poland, which was incorporated into Austria, there were three communities within the Congregation. Two more were added during the formation of the Galician (Lviv) province in 1783-1799. Until 1859, there were 15 separate houses (communities) in the province. During the period in question, the Galician province was managed by four Visitators: Franciszka Saulais (1783-1800), Tekla Granówna (1800-1824), Rozalia Negrosz (1824-1846) and Łucja Borowska (1846-1859). Sr. Franciszka was French, the other three were Polish. The spiritual leadership of the Galician Province was exercised by five missionary priests: Józef Dębkowski (1799-1806), Stanisław Bieńkowski (1809), Paweł Gąsowski (1814-1821), Jakub Józef Basiński (1821-1848) and Stefan Klinger (1848-1861). Throughout this period, 232 sisters lived and worked in the Galician (Lviv) province of the Congregation.
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