Italian Authored a Book about the Life and Activities of Jesuits in Slutsk
The publication is based on manuscript sources that are currently preserved in the archives and libraries of Belarus, Poland, and Lithuania. The documents were compiled immediately after the dissolution of the Jesuit order and provide a detailed insight into the history of Slutsk of that time.
The book's compiler, Andrea Mariani, with a print copy. Photo: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
The book «Inventories of the Jesuit Collegium in Slutsk and its Land Holdings at the Turn of 1773 and 1774» (Inwentarze kolegium jezuitów w Słucku oraz jego majątków ziemskich z przełomu roku 1773 i 1774) was published by the Scientific Publishing House of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. The researcher who prepared the documents for publication and wrote the introduction was the Italian historian Andrea Mariani.
Jesuits appeared in Slutsk at the end of the 17th century. Due to the historical legacy of the Olelkovich princes and the Calvinist branch of the Radziwill family, Orthodox and Protestants dominated the city. To establish themselves and begin religious and educational activities, the Catholic order had to adapt to local society. Evidence of this missionary approach is even the architecture of the Slutsk Jesuit church: externally, it resembled an Orthodox church more than a Roman Catholic temple.
Reconstruction of the appearance of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Slutsk
The book, almost 600 pages long, consists of two main parts. The first part contains descriptions of the churches of the Holy Trinity and the Holy Spirit, the buildings of the collegium, the seminary, and the music bursary. The most informative sections are the detailed catalogs of the library, archive, and the inventory of the local pharmacy. The second part is dedicated to the description of the land holdings and manors (folwarks) of the collegium (Yaminsk, Zamoshsha, Bokshytsy, Zamostse, Kiyevichy, Usa, etc.).
Book cover. Photo: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
The book's compiler, Andrea Mariani, was born in Milan. In 2009, he came to Poland on an Erasmus student program. After receiving a master's degree from the University of Milan, he enrolled in doctoral studies at Adam Mickiewicz University. His academic interests are focused on the history of the Society of Jesus in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In addition to Slutsk, Mariani is also working on a critical edition of the inventories of the Jesuit collegium in Nesvizh.
Estates of the Slutsk Jesuits highlighted in red. Photo: from the book
According to the researcher, many Jesuit inventories are preserved in Belarusian and Russian archives, which for a long time were practically inaccessible to Western scholars. The study of these documents allows historians to go beyond the purely educational or religious activities of the order and to investigate the social, economic, medical (history of pharmacy) and demographic aspects of life in contemporary society.
The book was published in Open Access format and is available for free download in electronic form on the publisher's website.
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