Adam Stankievič (, , January 6, 1892 – November 29, 1949) was a

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest, politician and writer. Stankievič was one of ideologists of the Belarusian Christian democratic movement in the early 20th century. Adam Stankievič was born in Arlianiaty (now in Hrodna Voblast), near

Ashmyany Ashmyany or Oshmyany is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus. It is located from Vilnius in Lithuania, and serves as the administrative center of Ashmyany District. The river Ashmyanka passes through the city. As of 2025, it has a population of 16 ...

. In 1914 he graduated from a priest seminary in

Vilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

(Vilnius in Lithuanian). Adam Stankievič was one of the founders of the

Belarusian Christian Democratic Union Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

and the

Belarusian Christian Democracy The Belarusian Christian Democracy (; ; BCD or BKhD) is a Christian-democratic political party in Belarus, established in 2005, which claims to be the continuation of a identically named movement, which existed at the beginning of the 20th cent ...

. He was one of the first priests to use

Belarusian language Belarusian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language. It is one of the two Languages of Belarus, official languages in Belarus, the other being Russian language, Russian. It is also spoken in parts of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Polan ...

in church services. In December 1919 Adam Stankievič became member of the exiled

Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic The Rada of the Belarusian People's Republic (, ) was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has been in exile where it has preserved its existence among the Belarusian diaspora as an advocacy group ...

. He was an active member of the Belarusian national movement in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

-controlled West Belarus. In 1922 he was elected to the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

as member of the

Bloc of National Minorities Bloc may refer to: Government and politics * Political bloc, a coalition of political parties * Trade bloc, a type of intergovernmental agreement * Voting bloc, a group of voters voting together * Black bloc, a tactic used by protesters who wear ...

. Unlike his fellow-villager, the notable West Belarusian politician and scientist

Jan Stankievič Jan Stankievič (26 November 1891 – 16 July 1976, known by the diminutive Janka) was a Belarusian politician, linguist, and historian. Biography Jan Stankievič was born in the village Arlianiaty near Ashmyany. During World War I, Stankiev ...

, Adam refused to cooperate with the Germans after their invasion in Poland. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he lived in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

where he published Belarusian religious literature. At this time Stankievič remained outside of the Belarusian political movement, rejecting any possibility of collaborating with the Nazi Germans. In many ways he assisted the anti-German resistance and especially the persecuted Jews whom he often harbored in his church.slounik.org
/ref> In 1944 Adam Stankievič refused to flee from Belarus with the retreating German armies. He was arrested by Soviet authorities soon after re-installation of Soviet control over Vilnius. In 1949 he was sent to the concentration camp in Taishet,

Irkutsk oblast Irkutsk Oblast (; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara River, Angara, Lena River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is ...

, where he died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stankievic, Adam 1882 births 1949 deaths People from Smarhon district People from Vilna Governorate Belarusian Roman Catholic priests Belarusian Christian Democracy politicians Members of the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1922–1927) 20th-century Roman Catholic priests