Jesuit College in Minsk

The monastery complex was located in the southeast part of the Minsk district known as High Market. It was situated within a block bordered to the northeast by High Market (currently Swabody Square), to the southeast by Zborowa Street (currently Internacjonalna Street), to the southwest by Felicjan Street (currently Komsomolska Street), and to the northwest by Kojdanowska Street (currently Rewolucyjna Street). The Jesuit church, serving as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Minsk–Mohilev, has been located at 9 Swabody Square since 1993. One of the buildings of the former Jesuit college (7 Swabody Square) now houses the Republican Gymnasium-College at the Belarusian State Academy of Music. The palace of Heger, gifted to the Jesuits in 1656, was situated on Kojdanowska Street (currently 1 Rewolucyjna Street). == History ==

According to the Jesuit historian, Franciszek Rzepnicki, the Jesuits arrived in Minsk in the first half of the 17th century. Duke Paweł Sanguszko brought the monks to the city in 1631, endowing them with a church and college. Other sources indicate the year 1654 when Prince , the Bishop of Smolensk, granted the Minsk Jesuits a permanent fund. They acquired a brick mansion from Jegor Heger at the corner of Kojdanowska Street and High Martek, which the monks designated as their headquarters. In the early period of their activities in Minsk, their community had the status of a mission dependent on the Jesuit college in Nyasvizh. In 1686, the Jesuits obtained the status of residents, and in 1714, they were granted a college, which marked the high level of education they provided. In 1716, the old church was adapted for use as a school. In 1723, the then rector Jakub Wołodkowicz initiated the construction of a brick building, which was built intermittently between 1733 and 1739 and then in 1748. A six-year secular district school was established based on the college, under the Commission of National Education. After 1798, when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Minsk was established, a three-story building was erected within the college premises, at the height of the cathedral apse, for the needs of the consistory. Until 1820, the offices were housed in the college, then the city council, and from 1852, the treasury. The college tower became a fire observation tower. On 15 December 1993, the Jesuit church was returned to the faithful. Its exterior appearance was restored to its original shape. == Endowment ==

In 1656, Hieronim Sanguszko granted the Jesuits an endowment of 80,000 Polish złoty, the Krupka estate (later the fund was transferred to the Rakaw estate), After Ogiński's death, the monks became embroiled in a legal battle with the founders' heirs, who demanded the return of the granted estates. It was only the curse cast on the heirs by Bishop Konstanty Kazimierz Brzostowski of Vilnius that caused the heirs to withdraw their claims. The annual income of the monks was 2,000 złoty in 1685, 5,000 złoty in 1705, and 4,000 złoty in 1749. Before the dissolution of the order in 1773, the Minsk Jesuits owned 54 estates in the villages of Hać, Hliwin, Upierowicze, Pruszkowicze, Ślepianka, and Usa. In addition, income was generated from forest and arable land covering approximately 500 voloks (approximately 8,398.08 hectares). The total income from the estates amounted to 72,000 złoty annually. == Architecture ==

The architectural layout of the Jesuit college was characteristic of the flourishing Minsk Baroque style during the period from the mid-17th to the early 18th century. Elements of the complex associated with monastic life had a simple, austere shape, contrasting with the lofty facade of the church. The residence of the Minsk Jesuits was located in a manor house purchased from the townsman Jegor Heger, surrounded by high stone walls with several gates. It was situated to the right of the church (currently at 1 Rewolucyjna Street). Behind the walls were agricultural buildings: a wooden house, stable, brewery, and granary. The dominant feature of the manor was a small palace, with its facade facing the square. It was covered by a hipped shingle roof with three gilded iron weather vanes. Each weather vane depicted St. George the Victorious, battling a dragon with a spear. The fourth weather vane was located above the porch and depicted the fairy Mieluzina (mermaid), playing a lute. On the ground floor were living quarters, a kitchen, and a pantry. Internal stairs led to the upper floor, where there was a gallery with ornate turned balusters, a refectory, and living quarters. The ceilings of the palace were adorned with frescoes. The house was heated using Dutch stoves decorated with white and green tiles, as well as fireplaces. The rooms were furnished. Over time, the residence was renovated by the monks into a residential house for priests and a small chapel. The Jesuit school was initially wooden. At the end of the 17th century, a two-story masonry school was built. It was more aesthetic, graceful, and harmonious than the church towers. In the 19th century, the dome was removed from the tower. At the beginning of the 20th century, two additional stories were added to the tower, while maintaining its architectural style, and the dome was restored. == Personnel composition ==

The reduction of capital after the death of Hieronim Sanguszko led to a decrease in the number of monks active in Minsk. Between 1656 and 1682, only two Jesuits – Łukasz Załuski and Ignacy Bekker – operated there. After the endowments from the Brzostowski and Ogiński families in 1682, their number increased to six, and by 1692, it reached twelve. From 1656 to 1714, the Jesuits in Minsk had fifteen successive superiors. When the monastic residence gained the status of a college, rectors held the highest office. Between 1714 and 1773, the college had twenty rectors. There, Bishop Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz, at the behest of Catherine the Great, opened a novitiate for them. Seventeen of them remained in Minsk as secular priests and taught at the transformed sub-collegiate schools, administered from 1773 to 1792 by the Commission of National Education. Among them were Korycki, Przetocki, Ławrynowicz, Brzozowski, Olendzki, and the rector Tadeusz Obrąpalski. == Educational activities ==

Initially, the Jesuits conducted educational activities in a chapel adapted for this purpose, located in Heger's mansion. They also participated in the activities of the parish of St. Peter and St. Paul. The Jesuit pastors preached their sermons in Polish, Lithuanian, and, in the St. Peter and Paul Church, in Ruthenian. A Student Congregation was established at the newly built church, which, among other duties, took care of the Holy Trinity Chapel. The monks conducted missions outside the city in places such as Błonie, Głuszyn, Illiczany, Niżyce, and Radoszkowice. Mobile missions were also organized. A scholarship program existed for poor students from 1685. Grammar was taught in the school from 1672, and in 1679, poetry and rhetoric were introduced into the curriculum. From 1729 to 1770, an annual course in philosophy was organized for secular students. A break was taken from 1731 to 1732 when the philosophy course was replaced by a course in moral theology. From 1748 to 1749, there were philosophical studies for clerics. The last probation for the Jesuits took place between 1765 and 1766. The students and lecturers had access to a library, which contained around 200 volumes in 1710. The library's collection was expanded through purchases. After the dissolution of the order, the management of the library was taken over by the Commission of National Education. == References ==