Stanislaw Konarski
Encyclopedia
Stanisław Konarski was a Polish pedagogue, educational reformer, political writer, poet
, dramatist, Piarist monk and precursor of the Polish Enlightenment
.
Konarski studied 1725-27 at the Collegium Nazarenum in Rome
, where he became a teacher of rhetoric
. After that he travelled through France
, Germany
and Austria
to broaden his education.
In 1730 he returned to Poland and began work on a new edition of Polish law, the Volumina legum.
From 1736 he taught at the Collegium Resoviense
in Rzeszów
. In 1740 he founded the Collegium Nobilium
, an elite Warsaw school for sons of the gentry
(szlachta
). He founded the first public-reference library on the European mainland in 1747 in Warsaw. Thereafter he reformed Piarist education in Poland, in accordance with his educational program, the Ordinationes Visitationis Apostolicae... (1755). His reforms became a landmark in the 18th-century struggle to modernize the Polish education system.
Early on, Konarski was associated politically with King Stanisław Leszczyński; later, with the Czartoryski
"Familia
" and King Stanisław August Poniatowski. He participated in the latter's famous "Thursday dinners
." Stanisław August caused a medal to be struck in Konarski's honour, with his likeness and the motto, from Horace
, Sapere auso ("Dare to know!"). Konarski argued very strongly that the right of veto
that had traditionally been exercised by the Polish Nobility was not law but a custom.
His heart is buried in an urn in the Piarist church in Cracow
. His bust
can be seen at the entrance to the crypt of this church placed on Świętego Jana Street.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, dramatist, Piarist monk and precursor of the Polish Enlightenment
Enlightenment in Poland
The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment in Poland were developed later than in the Western Europe, as Polish bourgeoisie was weaker, and szlachta culture together with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth political system were in deep crisis...
.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he became a teacher of rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. After that he travelled through France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to broaden his education.
In 1730 he returned to Poland and began work on a new edition of Polish law, the Volumina legum.
From 1736 he taught at the Collegium Resoviense
Konarski's High School in Rzeszów
The Konarski Secondary School in Rzeszów is one of the oldest secondary schools in Poland. The school is a coeducational public secondary school...
in Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
. In 1740 he founded the Collegium Nobilium
Collegium Nobilium
-Olomouc:Following the Thirty Years' War, the education in Moravia was firmly in the hands of Jesuits. Moravian nobility were keen to expand the range of areas taught at the University of Olomouc beyond just theology and philosophy. Despite opposition from the Jesuits, the Emperor Leopold I...
, an elite Warsaw school for sons of the gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
(szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
). He founded the first public-reference library on the European mainland in 1747 in Warsaw. Thereafter he reformed Piarist education in Poland, in accordance with his educational program, the Ordinationes Visitationis Apostolicae... (1755). His reforms became a landmark in the 18th-century struggle to modernize the Polish education system.
Early on, Konarski was associated politically with King Stanisław Leszczyński; later, with the Czartoryski
Czartoryski
Czartoryski is the surname of a Polish-Ukrainian-Lithuanian magnate family also known as the Familia. They used the Czartoryski Coat of arms and were the leading noble family of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century.-History:The Czartoryski is a family of a Grand Ducal...
"Familia
Familia
Familia was the name of a Polish political party led by the Czartoryski magnates and families allied with them, and formed toward the end of the reign of King August II...
" and King Stanisław August Poniatowski. He participated in the latter's famous "Thursday dinners
Thursday Dinners
The Thursday Dinners were meetings of artists, intellectuals, and statesmen held by the last King of Poland, Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski in the era of Enlightenment in Poland....
." Stanisław August caused a medal to be struck in Konarski's honour, with his likeness and the motto, from Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, Sapere auso ("Dare to know!"). Konarski argued very strongly that the right of veto
Liberum veto
The liberum veto was a parliamentary device in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It allowed any member of the Sejm to force an immediate end to the current session and nullify any legislation that had already been passed at the session by shouting Nie pozwalam! .From the mid-16th to the late 18th...
that had traditionally been exercised by the Polish Nobility was not law but a custom.
His heart is buried in an urn in the Piarist church in Cracow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. His bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
can be seen at the entrance to the crypt of this church placed on Świętego Jana Street.
See also
- History of philosophy in Poland