"From the History of the Armenian Community in Zamość" - Mirosława ZAKRZEWSKA-DUBASOWA
The article by Mirosława Zakrzewska-Dubasowa is devoted to the history of the Armenian community of the town of Zamość in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was published following the international conference "The Art of the Armenian Diaspora" (Zamość, April 2010), organized by the Institute of Art History of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University with the support of the Polish Society of Oriental Art and the town museum. The text represents fragments of the author's book "Armenians in Old Poland" ("Ormianie w dawnej Polsce").
Introduction and Methodology
The author reconstructs the history of Armenian settlement in the lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on the basis of documentary sources—privileges, court records, and biographical accounts of community members—tracing the formation of the colony in Zamość within the context of the broader migratory movement of Armenians following the fall of Caffa.
Chronology and Geography of Settlement
It is shown that Armenian colonization of the southeastern lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth continued from the 15th to the 18th century:
- 15th century — Kamianets, Lviv, Jazłowiec, Lutsk;
- 16th century — Bar, Tysmenytsia, Podhajce, Zamość;
- 17th century — Złoczów, Żwaniec, Brody, Berezhany, Stanisławów, and others;
- 18th century — Kuty, Balta, Mohyliv-Podilskyi.
Zamość is identified as the westernmost point where a fully-fledged Armenian community with autonomy was established.
The Founding of the Community in Zamość
Special attention is given to the 1585 privilege granted by Chancellor Jan Zamoyski, who invited Armenians to the newly founded town in order to develop trade and eastern crafts. Armenians were granted equal rights with other inhabitants, a separate side of the market square, permission to build a church, and freedom of worship. The 1589 privilege expanded the community's economic rights (production of mead, wine, beer, and crafts).
Institutions of Self-Government
The internal organization of the community is examined: the offices of wójt (mayor), assessors, tax collectors, and stewards (ekonomy) responsible for church funds. The burdensome nature of fiscal obligations and the practice of granting exemptions to encourage the taking up of elective offices are noted.
Illustrative Material
The biography of the Armenian merchant Eliasz Kistestierowicz is presented, whose journey through Moldavia, Hungary, and Podolia to Zamość serves as a vivid example of the mobility and trade connections of the region's Armenian diaspora.
Conclusion
The author concludes that the position of Armenians in private towns such as Zamość was significantly more favorable than in royal towns, owing to the deliberate policy of the magnate founders, who were interested in developing trade and crafts through the attraction of an Armenian population.
Drawing on archival privileges and biographical evidence, the article traces how Chancellor Jan Zamoyski's founding of Zamość in 1585 created the conditions for a self-governing Armenian community at the western edge of its settlement in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Privilege as the Basis of Autonomy