EN
In the 17th century there were 8 deaneries and about 180 parishes in the Archdea-conry of Gniezno. There are four visitation books preserved from that time and that area. Two of them were used in this article: the first one dated from the years 1608-1609 by Wincenty de Seve and second one from the years 1696-1699 by Stanisław Lipski. Education is presented there in the context of the school building, the teaching staff, programme and students. The notes concern parish education mainly. At the beginning of the 17th century its condition was very well. There were a school building and/or a teacher almost in each parish. A lot of attention was devot-ed to the teachers, their earnings, habits and qualifications. Education, decorousness, piety and knowledge in particular, were a focus of the public attention. Because of the importance of music in the Church a cantor, subordinated to the teacher, was em-ployed. 105-2 students. attended to each school. At the end of the 17th century about 30 parishes existed poorly or did not exist at all. The schools’ condition worsened definitely and they were not reported much. It concerned the buildings, the staff, the teacher’s situation. There also appeared a phe-nomenon of seizing the rector`s income and duties by a cantor or a organist. The visitation books provide also some data concerning many hundred years old cathedral school and a new post-Tridentine institution – seminary were active in the 17th century Gniezno. The situation of the education was shaped by the specific local factors, the eco-nomic and social processes as well as the general policy of the Church and the Repub-lic of Poland.