Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac ( lt, Kristupas Zigmantas Pacas; 1621–1684) was a nobleman and statesman of

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 the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

(1658–1684) of the

. He was the brother of

Michał Kazimierz Pac Michał Kazimierz Pac (; 1624 – 4 April 1682 in Vokė near Vilnius) of the Gozdawa Coat of Arms, was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman and a member of the Pac family. He was a son of Piotr Pac (c. 1570-19 July 1640, Lithuanian Court Treasurer 163 ...

, the Grand

Hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

of Lithuania (1667–1682) who sponsored St Peter and St Paul's Church in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, a masterpiece of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

within the former

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

. After their deaths, the influence of the

Pac family The House of Pac or Pacowie ( pl, Pacowie, lt, Pacai, be, Па́цы) was one of the most influential noble families in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the era of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Numerous high-ranking officials of ...

rapidly deteriorated. Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac was an educated and intellectual man. He studied in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, and for eight years at the

University of Perugia University of Perugia (Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. Th ...

in Florence, Italy. When he returned to the Commonwealth he obtained permission from Rome to establish a monastery for the Order of

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

. The construction started in 1664 and eventually the completed monastery, now known as the

Pažaislis monastery Pažaislis is a neighborhood ("territory") of Kaunas, Lithuania, within its Petrašiūnai eldership. It includes the Pažaislis Monastery. History The name Pažaislis is Lithuanization of Polish name , literally meaning "by Zajście", i.e. locat ...

, is considered to be one of the best examples of

baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

in the lands of present-day

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. In 1673 Krzysztof Pac succeeded in passing a law stating that the convention of every third

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...

of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth should take place in

Grodno Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...

, a city in the

. He was also appointed

Vilkaviškis Vilkaviškis () is a city in southwestern Lithuania, the administrative center of the Vilkaviškis District Municipality. It is located northwest from Marijampolė, at the confluence of of and rivers. The city got its name from the Vilka ...

elder. He was married to Klara Isabelle de Mailly (~1631/35-1685), an authoritative woman. Their first-born son died at the age of eight days and they had no other children. Instead, Krzysztof Pac helped to launch his nephew's political career; he later continued to sponsor the expansion of the Pažaislis monastery. Pac, his wife and their son, were all buried in the cemetery of the Pažaislis monastery. Their graves were robbed and vandalized several times during the monastery's eventful and long history. In 2003 they were properly reburied in a ceremony led by the

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

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 ...

Sigitas Tamkevičius Sigitas Tamkevičius (born 7 November 1938) is a Lithuanian prelate and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop emeritus of Kaunas. Pope Francis raised him to the rank of cardinal on 5 October 2019. Biography He graduated from se ...

References

Summary of Kristupas Zigmantas Pacas and the Women in His Life

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pac, Krzysztof Zygmunt Diplomats of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1621 births 1684 deaths Polish nobility University of Perugia alumni Krzysztof Zygmud Grand Chancellors of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Deputy Chancellors of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

See also

References