The monastery o f the Benedictine Nuns in Sandomierz (1615-1903) is one of the few religious establishments which have retained a complete set of sources documenting their changing population. The data contained in the extant register, chronicle and other archive materials are sufficiently abundant to support an inquiry seeking to determine the number and the ages of the novices, the length of their lives, their social and ethnic backgrounds, and the monastery’s internal structures. In the period 1615-1903 the Sandomierz nunnery became home to 296 nuns. While 259 took their veil in Sandomierz, 37 made their profession in other convents. The first Benedictine nuns came to Sandomierz from Chełmno in 1615. Among them was Zofia Sieniawska, daughter of the foundress of the new house, with twelve nuns; later they were joined by another five members of the order. Their mission was to set up a new community; however, before one year was out eleven of them had returned to the mother monastery. Apart from the initial Chełmno contingent, a total of nineteen nuns came to settle in the Sandomierz nunnery, among them some Carmelite nuns, a Visitant and a Dominican, as well as Benedictine nuns from Radom, Lwów, Łomża and Staniątki. While some transfers resulted from individual requests, the rise in migrations in the 19th century was the effect of the Russian policy of squeezing out Catholic religious orders. There was also outward migration: twenty 0 nuns left Sandomierz for other convents and seven novices broke off their trial term. In the 17th-18th century the monastery’s population varied between 30 and Sothen, in the 19th century, it declined steadily. There were thirty nuns in 1803, but only nine in 1889. The novices in the 17th-18th century were aged 18 to 20 on average, though the sixteen-year-olds made up the largest group, followed by girls between nineteen and twenty. In the first half of the 19th century the average novice was twenty-three; in the latter half of that century her age climbed to twenty-seven. Most of them came from families of the gentry. While burghers’ daughters could also be found, there is no evidence of any girl of peasant origin. Quite often (12% 0f the novices) the novices were sisters; in one case three girls from the family became nuns The Sandomierz nunnery was ruled by nineteen abbesses and in 1808-1809 by a prioress. Each of them was chosen in a ceremonious election, supervised by priests specially appointed by the bishop. The abbess was responsible for running the monastic community in conformity with its rule and for keeping up its spiritual life. She also had the authority to make all the appointments within the community. The office of the abbess’s deputy was held by the prioress, who was assisted by the subprioress. They both administered the monastery’s real property. The monastic finances were in the hands of sister subtreasurer, while sister custodian was entrusted with matters of discipline and control. Another important function was that of sister secretary. She was also keeper of the rule in addition to looking after the official correspondence and updating the monastic chronicle. The monastery gate was opened and locked by sister gatekeeper; housekeeping was the province of sister dispenser, who had the help of vestiarians, cellarmaids and refectory staff. A rather different function in the life of the community was performed by the mistresses, one for each of the following groups – the lay maidens, the novices, the renovantae, and the professed nuns. The church and sacristy was looked after by sister sacristan; liturgical chant was kept to high standards by the precentrix and her choristers. Every nun had her place in the structure of the monastic community: even if she held no function carrying greater responsibility, she would always be busy with a job of one kind or another. At no time would any member of the monastic community remain idle.