THE RELIGIOUSNESS OF WARSAW BURGHERS IN THE LATE MIDDLE AGES IN THE LIGHT OF THE OLDEST TESTAMENTS (Religijnosc mieszczan póznosredniowiecznej Warszawy w swietle najstarszych zachowanych testamentów)

The article presents the results of the research on the religiousness of Warsaw burghers in the late Middle Ages based on the oldest preserved testaments. The sixteen documents from the years 1431-1526 show varied forms of religiousness characteristic of urban communities, including bequests to churches, legacies for the benefit of hospitals and the poor, choosing one's burial place and funding masses for one's soul. The repetitiveness of legacies contrasts with the wide spectrum of testators, which includes not only members of the patriciate but also poor inhabitants of the suburbs, women and men, artisans and intellectuals. In general, it seems that most of the testators were primarily concerned with the good of the urban community, which was supposed to cherish the memory of the dead.