The main religious and ethnic minorities in Mazovia's history were the Jews, who first came here in the 13th century, and Protestants, chiefly Mennonites and Lutherans of German or Netherlandic descent (so-called 'holendrzy', 'olendrzy'), who began settling in the region in the first half of the 17th century. The Protestants were not nearly as numerous as the Jews (in the second half of the 18th century there were approximately 1090 and 9650 of them respectively), but both groups formed similar organizational structures, divided into several levels, serving the satisfaction of the religious needs of their members, scattered over a large area. The centers (parishes, kehillahs) were typically in the towns, with branches in bigger villages catering to people living in the remaining smallest communities. There were also other similarities, e.g. between the Jewish and the Mennonite sepulchral art, both in terms of form and religious symbols.
The culture and arts of Jewish inhabitants of Mazovia in the Old Polish period was strongly tied to religious life. The changes taking place in spiritual life in the 18th century (the spread of mystic movements and the progress of the Haskalah) resulted in the development of religious literature and publishing activity. As for synagogue architecture, in the 17th and 18th century, timber structures predominated; they referred to lay patters (manors and granaries). It was only in the mid-18th century that the first synagogues built of brick appeared, often inspired by church architecture. Artistic handicrafts products used in the rites were made both by Christian and Jewish artisans in the 18th century. They did not differ significantly from utilitarian handicrafts products from the neighbouring regions. The same could be said of tombstones, referring chiefly to Jewish sepulchral art. of Małopolska region. These monuments, most of which were destroyed during World War II, constituted an important element of Mazovia's civilizational legacy.
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