The 18th century writer Michał Paszkiewicz OFMObs and his literary works in the collection of the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus

Abstract

In the Collection of oldprinted books of National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus in Minsk there is preserved a pamphlet book which contains five from six know by bibliographs issues of works by Michał Paszkiewicz. All of these issues have on their title-pages autograph dedications addressed by author to Joseph Kleczkowski, who was a Canonic of Smaliensk (Smoleńsk), the Dean of Połack (Połock), and the Parson of Vaŭkałata (Wołkołata). M. Paszkiewicz made an eminent career in the so-called Order of Bernardians (Ordo Fratrum Minorum Regularis Observantiae) and reached positions of the custodian and then the provincial minister of Lithuania. Concerning his literary heritage he was famous generally as the author of funeral sermons of celebrities of that time. The article is an attempt to discuss published works by M. Paszkiewicz as sources for the research on his religious and literary activity.