hanks to the Jesuits, Braniewo became an important and popular educational centre. The Jesuit gymnasium, diocesan seminary and from 1578 a papal seminary have also been praised in Warmia’s history. The role of the latter institution was to educate students in the spirit of the Catholic faith. The task of the graduates originating largely from the Nordic countries was to return to their homeland and promote their re-Catholicisation. However, many Finns, Norwegians and Swedes, due to the anti-Catholic legislation of these countries and the fluctuating political situation, could not cope, and those who tried were in danger of receiving the highest punishment. For is reason, the influx of Scandinavians into the papal seminary fell dramatically. Many graduates after their ordination took up work in, amongst other places, the diocese of Warmia, and some of them found their place in the circle of King Sigismund III Vasa.