WHY, AMONG THE HOLY PLACES OF SECLUDEDNESS, WOULD BLESSED DOROTHY OF MONTAU LACK OF CISTERCIAN OLIWA AND PELPLIN?

Abstract

The subject of the article is an attempt to interpret the fact of the pilgrim’s absence of bleesed Dorothy of Montau (1347-1394) in relatively close topographically two centers of cistercian spirituality in Oliwa and Pelplin. Blessed Dorothy of Montau in order to renewal of the spirit she visited the holy places of secludedness in Gdańsk every day, and periodically the holy places, where she went on pilgrimage too. In the history of theology of spirituality, the sequence of her pilgrimages to distant sanctuaries of medieval Europe was documented, including to: Koszalin, Piaseczno, Akwizgran (Aachen), Finsterwalde (Einsiedeln), Rome and Kwidzyn. Analysis of the cited sources showed that blessed Dorothy of Montau just never made a pilgrimage to two centers of the Cistercian spirituality in Oliwa and Pelplin, despite the relatively short distance from her place of residence in the so – called the Gdańsk’s period (1363-1391) of her life. This fact is surprising and raises the question of the reasons for this decision. This article is an attempt to answer the question, that was posed in the title of the study, based on the analyzed Cistercian and Dorothean’s sources. However, the issue remains open.