For your consideration is an exceptionally rare and historically significant original Imperial Russian ecclesiastical ukaz (decree) issued by the Vilnius Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Consistory on 3 September 1842, during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia (18251855). Printed in Polish with extensive contemporary manuscript entries, the decree is executed on a large sheet of original laid paper measuring approximately 16 13.5 inches and survives in its complete original folded-letter format, serving as both the official decree and its own mailing cover. The prominent printed heading, "Ukaz JEGO IMPERATORSKIEY MOCI z Wileskiego Rzymsko-Katolickiego Duchownego Konsystorza" ("Decree of His Imperial Majesty from the Vilnius Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Consistory"), reflects the constitutional and administrative position of the Roman Catholic Church operating under Imperial Russian authority following the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The document bears the original manuscript registration number No. 4208, entered contemporaneously by the Consistory clerk, preserving its official place within the diocesan administrative records.

Addressed to the Dean of Lida (Dziekan Lidzki), the decree concerns a canonical matrimonial matter involving a man identified as Jan Szymkiewicz, described as having absented himself from or deserted his wife. Acting in accordance with established nineteenth-century ecclesiastical procedure, the Consistory directs the Dean to have the notice proclaimed publicly three times from the church pulpits within the deanery and thereafter report the results back to the Consistory. The concluding formula clearly records the date of issuance as "Datto 1842 Wrzenia 3 Dnia" ("Given on the 3rd day of September, 1842"), providing an exact contemporary dating within the body of the manuscript itself. Such decrees constitute important primary-source records documenting the practical administration of matrimonial and canonical jurisdiction by the Roman Catholic Church under Imperial Russian rule.

The decree is prominently signed by Bishop Jan Kajetan Cywiski (17721846), auxiliary Bishop of Vilnius, titular Bishop of Dercos, and administrator of the Diocese of Vilnius during the vacancy of the episcopal see. A distinguished ecclesiastical jurist and longtime official of the Vilnius Consistory, Cywiski directed diocesan affairs throughout one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Church within the Russian Empire, balancing the exercise of canon law with the increasing administrative oversight imposed by the Imperial government. His large autograph, executed in dark brown iron-gall ink in the abbreviated episcopal form "Jan Cywiski Bp.", occupies the lower portion of the decree and constitutes the principal authorization of the document. A second contemporary manuscript signature, likely that of a senior Consistory official or secretary, appears beneath the dating clause, further attesting to the decree's official execution.

Equally remarkable is the document's complete administrative and postal survival. Folded for transmission in its original form, it functioned as its own mailing cover and retains its manuscript docketing identifying it as an ukaz from the Vilnius Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Consistory addressed to the Dean of Lida, together with later nineteenth-century filing endorsements recording its subsequent administrative processing. The exterior preserves the original red wax official Consistory seal bearing the Imperial Russian double-headed eagle, symbolizing the Imperial authority under which the Consistory exercised its ecclesiastical jurisdiction, along with original postal and archival features documenting the decree's movement through the diocesan administrative system. A later manuscript docket dated January 1843 records subsequent filing or registration and should be understood as part of the document's later administrative history rather than its original date of issuance.

Original Imperial Russian ecclesiastical decrees preserving their complete documentary lifecycle are seldom encountered. The combination of the printed Consistory heading, extensive contemporary manuscript text, original registration number, precise internal dating, episcopal autograph of Bishop Jan Kajetan Cywiski, secondary Consistory signature, folded postal format, original address and docketing panels, official red wax seal with the Imperial double-headed eagle, and later archival endorsements preserves the complete chain of ecclesiastical administration from drafting and registration through authorization, transmission, receipt, and filing. Beyond its autograph significance, the present document constitutes an exceptional primary-source record illustrating the operation of Roman Catholic diocesan government within the western provinces of the Russian Empire during the reign of Nicholas I and the everyday administration of nineteenth-century canon law.

Condition is very good for a large official ecclesiastical postal document of the period. The document displays the expected original mailing folds, light age toning, scattered handling wear, minor edge wear, and localized old paper reinforcement associated with its original folded transmission. The manuscript remains clear and highly legible throughout, the printed heading is exceptionally strong, the manuscript registration number No. 4208 is distinct, Bishop Cywiski's autograph is bold and well preserved, the original red wax official seal survives substantially intact, and the contemporary docketing and later archival endorsements remain visible, preserving an outstanding and remarkably complete example of Imperial Russian Roman Catholic ecclesiastical administration from the first half of the nineteenth century.