The Kražiai College ( lat, Collegium Crozensis) was a
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
college (equivalent to a modern secondary school) in
Kražiai
Kražiai ( Samogitian: ''Kražē''; pl, Kroże) is a historic town in Lithuania, located in the Kelmė district municipality, between Varniai (32 km) and Raseiniai (44 km), on the Kražantė River. The old town of Kražiai is an archeo ...
,
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
and later
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. Established in 1616 in hopes to educate new generations of
anti-Protestants, the college was one of the major cultural and educational centers in
Samogitia
Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
. In 1620–1742, it shared premises with the
Samogitian Priest Seminary.
[ In 1844, the college was transferred to ]Kaunas
Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...
.
History
Establishment
Bishop Merkelis Giedraitis
Merkelis Giedraitis ( pl, Melchior Giedroyć; – 6 April 1609) was Bishop of Samogitia from 1576 to 1609. Educated at Protestant universities in the Duchy of Prussia and Germany, he actively combated the Reformation implementing resolutions of t ...
raised the idea of establishing a college in Kražiai
Kražiai ( Samogitian: ''Kražē''; pl, Kroże) is a historic town in Lithuania, located in the Kelmė district municipality, between Varniai (32 km) and Raseiniai (44 km), on the Kražantė River. The old town of Kražiai is an archeo ...
, the first higher education institution in Samogitia. To that end, in 1608, he invited the Jesuits, bought them land and built a house for their needs. Merkelis died the following year; in his last will, he left money and land for the construction of a Jesuit monastery. Other patrons included Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł
Prince Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł ( lt, Mikalojus Kristupas Radvila Našlaitėlis) (2 Augustus 1549 – 28 February 1616) and nicknamed "the Orphan" ( pl, Sierotka, lt, Našlaitėlis), was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman (szlachcic), Or ...
who donated a palace, built in 1565, and Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz ( lt, Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius, be, Ян Караль Хадкевіч ; 1561 – 24 September 1621) was a military commander of the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, who was from 1601 Field Hetman of Lithuania, and from ...
who donated seven homesteads.[ The college was founded in 1613,][ and was called ''Collegium Chodkievicianum'' in honor of Chodkiewicz.][ The first class was held only in September 1616 in a temporary wooden house.][ The construction of a permanent school began in 1618 (the ceremony of laying the cornerstone was attended by Grand Treasurer ]Hieronim Wołłowicz
Hieronim Wołłowicz of Bogorya Coat of Arms, born in the 16th century, died in the 17th century, was Podkanclerz and Grand Treasurer of Lithuania of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Starost of Samogitia from 1618 to 1641.
Brother of And ...
).[ At the time, the college already had about 50 students and 12 teachers.][
]
Growth and reorganizations
Gradually, with the support of many wealthy sponsors, the college expanded into a large campus, including its own church built in 1625–89.[ Full financial support was given to 26 impoverished students. On average, the school employed 30–50 Jesuits and educated 250–300 students.][ The curriculum and teaching methods followed the '']Ratio Studiorum
The ''Ratio atque Institutio Studiorum Societatis Iesu'' (''Method and System of the Studies of the Society of Jesus''), often abbreviated as ''Ratio Studiorum'' (Latin: ''Plan of Studies''), was a document that standardized the globally influen ...
''. Students belonged to the Sodality of Our Lady
The Sodality of Our Lady, also known as the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary (in Latin, ''Congregationes seu sodalitates B. Mariæ Virginis''), is a Roman Catholic Marian society founded in 1563 by young Belgian Jesuit Jean Leunis (or Jan) a ...
and visited the sick.[ The college had its own student theater (30 performances are known)][ and a rich library, which in 1803 held 3,264 volumes (oldest dating back to 1427).][
The college suffered severe human and capital losses during the Swedish invasion of 1656 and the plague of 1710, but recovered.][ After the ]suppression of the Jesuits
The suppression of the Jesuits was the removal of all members of the Society of Jesus from most of the countries of Western Europe and their colonies beginning in 1759, and the abolishment of the order by the Holy See in 1773. The Jesuits were ...
in 1773, the college's administration was taken over by the Commission of National Education
The Commission of National Education ( pl, Komisja Edukacji Narodowej, KEN; lt, Edukacinė komisija) was the central educational authority in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, created by the Sejm and King Stanisław II August on October 14 ...
.[ After the ]Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...
, Carmelites
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Car ...
from Kolainiai administered the school from 1797 to 1817. In 1817, Tsarist authorities secularized the school, changed its name to gymnasium, introduced primary education classes, and transferred its administration to Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
.[ As such, the number of students grew and exceeded 400.][
]
Move to Kaunas
Vilnius University was closed in the aftermath of the 1831 November Uprising
The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution,
was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...
. After the establishment of the Kovno Governorate
Kovno Governorate ( rus, Ковенская губеpния, r=Kovenskaya guberniya; lt, Kauno gubernija) or Governorate of Kaunas was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kaunas (Kovno in Russian). It was formed ...
in 1843, the gymnasium was transferred from Kražiai to Kaunas
Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...
(the present-day Maironis Gymnasium).[ The campus in Kražiai was abandoned and fell into ruins. Only the former student dormitory (''bursa'') survives to this day.][ The building was extensively renovated in 2008 and houses the Cultural Center of M. K. Sarbievijus, Kražiai Region Museum, and the library and art collection of Charlotte Narkiewicz-Laine.][
]
Teachers and students
The first teacher, Jonas Kochas, was sent from the Collegium Hosianum
The Collegium Hosianum was the Jesuit collegium founded in 1565, 1566 by Polish Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius in Braunsberg (Braniewo), Kingdom of Poland. The town was then part of the Polish Prince-Bishopric of Warmia under rule of Cardinal Hosius ...
in Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...
.[ Among the first teachers was poet ]Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski
Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (in Latin, ''Matthias Casimirus Sarbievius''; Lithuanian: ''Motiejus Kazimieras Sarbievijus''; Sarbiewo, Poland, 24 February 1595 Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski's biography by Mirosław Korolko in: – 2 April 1640, Wars ...
who taught syntax.[ Other notable teachers included historian ]Albert Wijuk Kojałowicz
Albert Wijuk Kojałowicz ( pl, Wojciech Wijuk Kojałowicz; lt, Albertas Vijūkas-Kojelavičius; la, Koialovicius-Wijuk Albertus; 1609–1677) was a Lithuanian historian, theologian and translator. He was devoted Jesuit and religious polemicist, ...
who taught rhetoric, taught philosophy Adam Krupski
Adam Krupski ( pl, Adam Krupski, be, Адам Крупскі; July 7, 1706 – March 8, 1748) was a professor of philosophy and Jesuit priest in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Legal expert in the legislation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, author ...
in 1740–1742, Žygimantas Liauksminas
Žygimantas Liauksminas lat, Sigismundus Lauxminus (1596 or 1597 – 11 September 1670) was a Lithuanian Jesuit theologian, philosopher, theorist of rhetoric and music, founder of Lithuanian musicology, one of the first Lithuanian professors and ...
(Sigismundus Lauxmin) who was also college's rector, and future Bishop Motiejus Valančius
Motiejus Kazimieras Valančius ( pl, , also known by his pen-name ''Joteika'' and ''Ksiądz Maciek''; 1801–1875) was a Catholic Bishop of Samogitia, historian and one of the best known Lithuanian/Samogitian writers of the 19th century.
Biogr ...
. Notable students included writers Dionizas Poška
Dionizas Poška (; October 1764 – 12 May 1830) was a Lithuanian poet, historian and lexicographer sometimes described also as Polish-Lithuanian He contributed to the early 19th-century Samogitian Revival, the early stage of the Lithuanian Nati ...
and Simonas Stanevičius
Simonas Tadas Stanevičius (; 26 October 1799 in Kanopėnai near Viduklė – 10 March 1848 in Stemplės near Švėkšna) was a Lithuanian writer and an activist of the "Samogitian Revival", an early stage of the Lithuanian National Revival.
Biog ...
, folklorists Liudvikas Adomas Jucevičius, explorers Jan Prosper Witkiewicz
Jan Prosper Witkiewicz ( lt, Jonas Prosperas Vitkevičius; russian: Ян Вѝкторович Виткѐвич, Yan Viktorovich Vitkevich) (June 24, 1808–May 8, 1839) was a Lithuanian orientalist, explorer and diplomat in Russian service. ...
, brothers Antanas
Antanas is a Lithuanian masculine given name derived from Antonius that is equivalent to Anthony in Lithuania. It may refer to:
* Antanas Andrijauskas (born 1948), Lithuanian philosopher
*Antanas Bagdonavičius (born 1938), Lithuanian rower and Ol ...
and Jonas Juška.[
]
See also
* List of Jesuit sites
This list includes past and present buildings, facilities and institutions associated with the Society of Jesus. In each country, sites are listed in chronological order of start of Jesuit association.
Nearly all these sites have bee ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraziai College
Kražiai College
1616 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
1844 disestablishments
Former universities and colleges of Jesuits
Universities and colleges in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
History of education in Lithuania
Educational institutions established in the 1610s
Educational institutions disestablished in 1844