This Day in Unitarian Universalist History
by Dr. Frank Schulman
Church in Rakow on site of former Socinian Church
12 March 1572
Valentine Smalcius was born in Gotha, Thuringia (now Germany). A Unitarian leader, he was active in the Socinian church through his friendship with Faustus Socinus and became pastor of the Socinian Church in Rakow, Poland. Smalcius fought for tolerance of other Protestant groups such as the Lutherans and Mennonites in Poland.