ABSTRACT
Recent studies of the first Jesuit mission to Transylvania have added much to our understanding, but still leave many questions unanswered concerning prevailing religious practice, the impact of the mission and the viability of its strategies in a context of confessional interaction. By the early 1580s Jesuit concerns had evolved significantly beyond their founders' ideas, not only in the introduction of colleges but also in the concept of mission. Everywhere Jesuits were also obliged to make some adaptation to local circumstances. It is therefore worth sketching the particular context of the expectations of members of the first Jesuit mission to Cluj. Several trends and influences seem formative, and partly account for the tensions between the Polish contingent and other Jesuits. In Cluj itself continuity was more fragile, but Alzati highlights the example of two Dominicans living within the city and maintaining a Catholic chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity until at least 1576.
