Aleksander Kazimierz Gintowt-Dziewałtowski (3 March 1821 – 26 August 1889) was a Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev from 1883 to his death in 1889. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Płock In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

and titular bishop of Helenopolis from 1872 to 1883.

Biography

Early life and priesthood

Aleksander Kazimierz Gintowt-Dziewałtowski was born in to Antoni and Katarzyna Gintowt. He was educated at a gymnasium in

Kėdainiai Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest List of cities in Lithuania, cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Lithuania's second largest city Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. Kėdainiai were first mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle ...

. After obtaining his ''

matura or its translated terms (''mature'', ''matur'', , , , , ', ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...

'', he attending Vilnius St. Joseph Seminary in 1839; he studied there until 1845, graduating with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

. He was ordained a priest on 9 June 1845 by Jan Kajetan Cywiński. After his ordination, he served as a parish priest in

Ukmergė Ukmergė (; previously ''Vilkmergė''; ) is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, located northwest of Vilnius. It is the administrative center of the Ukmergė District Municipality. Ukmergė (Vilkmergė) was mentioned for the first time as a ...

; 3 years later, in 1848, he was appointed catechist for its gymnasium. On 1 December 1849, he was appointed rector for the parish of

Joniškis Joniškis (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Juonėškis''; ) is a city in northern Lithuania with a population of about 9,900. It is located 39 kilometers north of Šiauliai and 14 kilometers south of the Lithuania–Latvia border. Joniškis i ...

. In October 1855, Gintowt-Dziewałtowski was appointed rector of a Bernardine parish in

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

; he was appointed dean of Grodno on 7 October 1861, and was later appointed archdeacon of

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

on 10 September 1864, which he would serve as until 31 October 1870. In the same year, he was appointed an honorary

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

Sejny Sejny (; ) is a town in north-eastern Poland and the capital of Sejny County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area (), on the Marycha river ...

by Konstanty Ireneusz Łubieński. Gintowt-Dziewałtowski was a member of a revolutionary organization based in Grodno during the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

, though he did not participate in activities against the Russian government. He served as a confessor for political prisoners between 1863 and 1866. In 1870, he was barred from performing spiritual activities for 2 years and was exiled to

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

for refusing to use Russian in Catholic services and sermons.

Episcopate

On 11 February 1872, Gintowt-Dziewałtowski was appointed by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

as auxiliary bishop of the

and titular bishop of Helenopolis. His appointment was approved by the Emperor of Russia on 2 June 1872, and he was consecrated on 6 August 1872 at the Church of St. Catherine by

Antoni Fijałkowski Antoni Fijałkowski (13 July 1798 – 11 February 1883) was a Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev from 1872 until his death in 1883. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Kamianets-Podilskyi from 1860 to 1872 ...

, assisted by Wincenty Lipski and . He became administrator of the Diocese in 1876, after the appointment of Wincenty Teofil Popiel as bishop of the Diocese of Kujawy-Kaliska. During this period, he was awarded the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 1st class. Gintowt-Dziewałtowski was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Minsk on 3 March 1883 by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

; he was preconized on 15 March. His appointment was recognized by the Emperor of Russia on 13 April 1883, when he was appointed by decree to the archbishopric; he received his

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

on 13 May 1883 at the Church of St. Catherine by Wincenty Teofil Popiel. For this occasion, he was awarded the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

, 1st class. In the same year, he was appointed chairman of the in Saint Petersburg. As its chairman, he helped to reorganize it in accordance with a new charter, granted in 1882. He also began renovating the building where it was situated, with a library and art gallery being constructed. Gintowt-Dziewałtowski died on 26 August 1889 at

Duderhof Heights Duderhof Heights or Duderhof Hills (; ) is a small highland area in the southwestern part of Saint Petersburg (Krasnoselsky District, Saint Petersburg, Krasnoselsky District). The nearest railway station, Mozhayskaya (formerly Duderhof) of the Lig ...

; he was buried at Vyborg Cemetery, located in the crypt of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Saint Petersburg.

References

Citations

Bibliography

{{Cite book, url=https://pbc.biaman.pl/Content/6761/Syg.%20130520%20Arcybiskupi%20i%20Administratorowie.pdf#page=50, chapter=Arcybiskup Al. Gintowt., title=Arcybiskupi i administratorowie archidiecezji mohylowskiej, first=Jan, last=Wasilewski, date=1930, pp=96–110, language=pl 1821 births 1889 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Russian Empire Bishops appointed by Pope Pius IX Bishops appointed by Pope Leo XIII