ABSTRACT
On the basis of manuscript sources the Author has established the successive possessors of a particular Vilnan tenement, on Bernardine Street, belonging to the Cathedral Chapter, who in the course of almost a century contributed in various degrees to its material improvement. It is exceptionally difficult to arrive at a pattern on the basis of these sources. As a rule, it was the constellation of interests in the Vilnan Church that was decisive in the Chapter’s grant of the house to a particular clergyman. It is significant that the conduct of the option on the house among the members of the Chapter, and even the date of its commencement, could vary according to current needs. The motive could be the wish to gain the goodwill of influential persons. The regulations could be interpreted loosely, depending on the situations and persons.
