Little is known of his early life. He was born to a
peasant family some time between 1525 and 1530 in the town of
Goniądz. According to
Symon Budny his true name was
Giezek, though throughout his life he used a variety of names and pseudonyms, including Gonesius, Gonedzius, Conyza and Koniński. He was sent by his parents to a monastery and became a Catholic priest. Supported by the bishop of
Wilno Paweł Holszański, Piotr was sent to Italy, where he graduated from the
University of Padua. There he received a
doctorate in
philosophy and became one of the professors. However, following his lecture of the anonymous work by
Miguel Serveto and similar works by an Italian professor
Matteo Gribaldi, Piotr of Goniądz converted to
Protestantism and returned to Poland. One of the pioneers of
anabaptism in Poland, he was active as one of the notable members of the
Protestant community formed around
Mikołaj Radziwiłł. It was he who contacted the anabaptists exiled from the
German states who settled in large numbers in
Moravia and convinced many of them to settle in Poland. He was also heavily influenced by the views of Bohemian
Hussites, who supported modesty, life in poverty and disregard for mundane life. For his support of
unitarianism and
anti-trinitarianism at the Protestant council of
Secemin (22 January 1556), he was officially
excommunicated by the Calvinists at the
Synod of Pińczów in April of that year. He was also banished from
Lesser Poland. However, he found several supporters of his ideas, mostly from among the lesser
szlachta of
Podlaskie and the lands of
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Probably in 1558 he found a benefactor and patron in person of
Jan Kiszka, one of the most powerful
magnates of his time. Invited to
Węgrów, Piotr became the head of the local Protestant commune and one of the most notable leaders of the
Calvinist community in Poland. The radical political, ethical and religious beliefs of Piotr of Goniądz gained him much popularity among the Protestant clergy and lesser gentry, though also created many conflicts, especially with the magnates. Piotr supported egalitarianism, pacifism and disregard for mundane life. The members of his community, often regarded as a sect within the Calvinist church, were forbidden to hold any public office, serve in the army or even carry arms. Piotr also strongly opposed
serfdom, which led to constant conflicts even with his patron.
Schism between Ecclesia Major and Ecclesia Minor In 1565 the schism within the Polish Calvinist church became a fact and Gonesius became a leader along with
Marcin Czechowic and others of the so-called
Ecclesia Minor, while the majority of Polish Protestants, the
Ecclesia Major, remained faithful to the much less radical beliefs of
John Calvin. He died in
Węgrów on 15 October 1573, during an outbreak of
plague. ==Works==