Starting with Bologna and Paris, a classical model of a European university usually contained four faculties: theological, philosophical, legal (of secular and canon law) and medical. One must remember that establishing theological faculty had to be agreed with the Holy See. The same university structure existed in Poland too, when in 1364 the Cracow University came into being. Beginning from 1397 it had its Theological Faculty. The faculty also functioned at other universities: in Vilnius (1578), in Zamość (the Zamość Academy, 1595), in Lviv (1759), in Warsaw (1817), in Lublin (the Catholic University of Lublin, 1918), again in Warsaw (the Academy of Catholic Theology, 1954 and later the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, 1999), in Opole (1994), in Poznań (1988), in Olsztyn (1999), in Katowice (2000), in Toruń (2001) and in Szczecin (2003).
Besides, after eradication of the Theological Faculty in Cracow, there came into being Papal Theological Faculty (1959), transformed into Papal Theological Academy (1974). A Theological Faculty was also founded in Wrocław (1964), transformed into Papal Theological Faculty (1974), in Poznań (1968), transformed into Papal Theological Faculty (1974) and then in Warsaw – as the Papal Theological Faculty (1982). The Catholic University of Lublin (where there was a Theological Faculty), as well as Papal Theological Faculties have got the status of ecclesiastical schools which are treated as higher education public schools.
In the Third Polish Republic (aft er 1989) there were created theological faculties at the following public universities: in Opole (1994), in Olsztyn (1999), at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (1999), in Poznań (1998), in Katowice (2000), in Toruń (2001) and in Szczecin (2003). In accordance with the regulations of Polish law and canon law, the named above faculties are liable to both ecclesiastical authorities and state authorities.
In the historical and educational literature, there is no text, which present the history of the academic colony of the University of Cracow in Lviv from its inception in the 17th century to the next transformation at the end of the 18th century. This paper is based on manuscript archival materials collected at the Jagiellonian University, the Archbishop of Lviv, in including consistory files, and also in printed annals, published official magazines of the city of Lviv, printed works of the teaching staff and students of the colony. As a result of many years of collecting source facts, the following was reconstructed: establishment of an academic colony in 1608, directors, some auxiliary teachers, pupils’ case, their activity in the city and the church in Lviv, school building and conditions for teaching, scattered grounds for financing teachers, pupils and building maintenance school. The article is the first part of the school’s history, the archival material owned by the author, after completing the query in the Lviv city archives, allows the author to write its history in the 18th century. This is the third academic colony (Chełmno, Nowy Sącz) presenting by the author.