„SEBEKONFESIONALIZACE“ A MANIFESTACE KATOLICISMU JAKO PROJEV UTVÁŘENÍ KONFESNÍ UNIFORMITY NA PŘEDBĚLOHORSKÉ MORAVĚ
“SELF-CONFESSIONALIZATION” AND MANIFESTATION OF CATHOLICISM AS AN EXPRESSION OF CREATING OF CONFESSIONAL CONFORMITY IN MORAVIA IN THE LATE 16th CENTUR

Summary/Abstract: The problem of confessionalization in early modern has became an important historiographical theme since the 60th of the 20th century. Although Moravia in the 16th century is still regarded as an idyllic asylum of non-Catholic confessions, the real situation was probably very different. Since the 70th of the 16th century Olomouc bishops, and above all Stanislaus II. Pavlovský (1579–1598) started to realize their program of Counter-Reformation, which represented a system of elaborated methods of confessionalization. These methods were not only pursued in the non-Catholic environment under bishop’s jurisdiction or in non-Catholic neighbourhood generally. They were exercised also in environment of catholic Moravian aristocracy and close catholic servants and family of bishop. People which had mixed in this environment created an special “confessional club”. The membership of this “club” was demonstrated by special means and it was also demanded and confirmed by special means by the bishop. The most important expression of loyalty to bishop and of membership to catholic society was sharing in catholic ritual life. That meant most of all attending the confession and communion sub una, keeping holidays and participation in religions festivals and ceremonies (esp. Corpus Dei procession). The Catholics around Olomouc bishops demonstrated their confession also by extra means, e.g. collecting of relics,commission of works of art for religious purposes or participation in pilgrimages. All this means of demonstration of Catholicism were expressions of inner social discipline of these Catholics. The Olomouc bishop also exerted a press on Catholics to boost up their confessional identity. He pressured all above on holding the catholic rituals in all moments of their lives, but he also used special methods for reinforcing their confession. First, it was an elaborated system of education. It was rendered by the Jesuits, but the bishop also let study a few of his wards in foreign universities (Ingolstadt, Dillingen, Rome). Second, Olomouc bishop created an interesting cultural politics, which involved most of all distribution of special books, of course catholic books. These books argued against non-Catholics and also they accentuated catholic virtues, esp. virtues of Jesuit missionaries. He used these methods very strictly also for members of his on family. This demonstration of catholic confession was not only an expression of joining to special social or political environment. It was also an consequence of metaphysical or eschatological choice. That means also that Olomouc bishop often emphasized in his argumentation towards catholic aristocracy that their choice for Catholicism is all above the choice for salvation. The declaration of Catholicism was not only a political mean, but it had also a spiritual background. This manifestation was most of all one of the most important social attitude.

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