Starting with Bologna and Paris, a classical model of a European university usually contained four faculties: theological, philosophical, legal (of secular and canon law) and medical. One must remember that establishing theological faculty had to be agreed with the Holy See. The same university structure existed in Poland too, when in 1364 the Cracow University came into being. Beginning from 1397 it had its Theological Faculty. The faculty also functioned at other universities: in Vilnius (1578), in Zamość (the Zamość Academy, 1595), in Lviv (1759), in Warsaw (1817), in Lublin (the Catholic University of Lublin, 1918), again in Warsaw (the Academy of Catholic Theology, 1954 and later the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, 1999), in Opole (1994), in Poznań (1988), in Olsztyn (1999), in Katowice (2000), in Toruń (2001) and in Szczecin (2003).

Besides, after eradication of the Theological Faculty in Cracow, there came into being Papal Theological Faculty (1959), transformed into Papal Theological Academy (1974). A Theological Faculty was also founded in Wrocław (1964), transformed into Papal Theological Faculty (1974), in Poznań (1968), transformed into Papal Theological Faculty (1974) and then in Warsaw – as the Papal Theological Faculty (1982). The Catholic University of Lublin (where there was a Theological Faculty), as well as Papal Theological Faculties have got the status of ecclesiastical schools which are treated as higher education public schools.

In the Third Polish Republic (aft er 1989) there were created theological faculties at the following public universities: in Opole (1994), in Olsztyn (1999), at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (1999), in Poznań (1998), in Katowice (2000), in Toruń (2001) and in Szczecin (2003). In accordance with the regulations of Polish law and canon law, the named above faculties are liable to both ecclesiastical authorities and state authorities.