Święty Genezjusz na scenie kolegium jezuickiego w Samborze
St. Genesius on the Jesuit Stage in Sambor

Summary/Abstract: This article sheds light on the Jesuit tragedy Genesius, hitherto unknown in scholarly literature, as recorded in a manuscript codex from the Jesuit college in Sambor (pre- sent-day Ukraine). It is the story of a Roman mime who, while performing a parody of baptism for Diocletian, was granted the grace of conversion and turned from a jester mocking the Christian religion into an ardent believer. The article discus- ses the Sambor performance against a broader historical and literary background, including earlier manifestations of the motif of Genesius, especially in Polish Jesuit theatre. The author shows how the eighteenth-century tragedy relates to its medieval textual source and to earlier theatre productions. The analysis reveals deliberate transformations of the theme made by an anonymous Jesuit, who expanded the story of Genesius to include family motifs, removed the figure of Diocletian, and strengthened the negative image of the eponymous character, portraying him as a tyrant and persecutor. The changes introduced in the tragedy were also related to the didactic-utilitarian function of the play, which criticized filial disobedience and the misuse of art’s creative potential and visualized the power of baptism.

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