renewed by the reigning king, Stefan Batory. The Gorkas also confirmed and expanded the Magdeburg Laws, which benefited the citizens. The last of the Gorkas, Stanislaw, died in 1592, after which the Szczebrzeszyn estates were taken over by the Czarnkowski family. In 1593, Jan Zamoyski purchased Szczebrzeszyn, along with 35 surrounding villages, and integrated them into his Ordinate. Zamoyski founded a new capital city in his Zamość estates, and it was at this point that Szczebrzeszyn lost its significance and the decline began. Despite the focus on Zamość, Zamoyski funded the Monastery of the Holy Franciscans and next to it the Cloister of the Holy Trinity, the modern-day Cloister of Saint Katarzyna. Apart from this, he liquidated the Catholic church and returned the one-time parish cloister to the Catholics. During the 17th century, religious animosity increased, and a 1637 decree issued by Tomasz Zamoyski resulted in the expulsion of the Arians. The city was also assaulted by the Tatars, Turks, and Cossacks. In particular, the city was torched and plundered by Tatars in 1672. A multitude of epidemics decimated the population and victims of the Plague were taken to a separate cemetery outside of the city. At the time of the partition of Poland, Szczebrzeszyn had fallen into the hands of Austria. New development The beginning of the 19th century saw a renewed interest in Szczebrzeszyn. With Zamość no longer functioning as the seat to the Zamoyski estates, the family transferred several functions to the city. The relocation of the provincial school and Holy Mercy Hospital stimulated growth and new buildings were constructed to accommodate the increasing population. The Chief Physician was moved here, and a hospital treating peasants for venereal diseases also opened. Education became an important part of life in Szczebrzeszyn. The district school was under the direct oversight of Stanisław Zamoyski who recruited both talented teachers and students. Lady Teofilia Reder opened a private school for girls that taught many advanced subjects. Due to the strength of the schools and the direction of Stanisław Zamoyski, Szczebrzeszyn suffered less from the politics of Russification than other settlements did after the November Uprising. For this precise reason, Russian authorities disbanded the provincial school in 1852. During the uprising Pedagogue Wincenty Dawid wrote in his 1887 memoir about the November Uprising: "In the end, our tranquillity and working lives were disrupted and the model order of the Szczebrzeszyn schools was