Pažaislio eremas: kamaldulių vienuolyno istorija

LTPažaislio vienuolynas šiandien atlieka plačią religinę ir kultūrinę misiją - tai ir Šv. Kazimiero moterų kongregacijos pagrindinis vienuolynas, ir noriai lankomas Baroko dailės ir architektūros objektas. Pažaislio kultūros centro prižiūrima veikia muziejinė ekspozicija, vienuolyno patalpose organizuojamos paskaitos, ekskursijos, koncertai, netgi ilgametis tarptautinis muzikos festivalis. Panašiai nevienalytė ir Pažaislio vienuolyno vietos istorija - iš pradžių tai buvo kamaldulių vienuolynas, vėliau stačiatikių, tarpukariu perduotas seserims kazimierietėms, o sovietmečiu, likvidavus vienuolijas, jis buvo ir formaliai išsklaidytas, priskiriant įvairioms pasaulietinėms įstaigoms. Visgi tai, ką šiandien Pažaislyje matome išbarstytą po įvairias veiklas ir pajungtą skirtingiems tikslams, kadaise buvo pastatyta ir įrengta dėl vieno: būti kamaldulių Monte Koronos kongregacijos vienuolynu, kad jam užrašytos valdos leistų savarankiškai funkcionuoti, o vienuoliams - išgyventi. Pažaislis statytas ir puoštas, idant šlovintų Dievą bei primintų vienuolyno fundatorių ir jo giminę. Vienuolynas turėjo tapti vienu Lenkijos ir Lietuvos kamaldulių provincijos centrų, mat jame buvo įsteigtas ir noviciatas. Būtent toks vienuolynas ir veikė nuo įsteigimo 1664 iki uždarymo 1831 metais.Šios knygos tikslas ir yra kuo plačiau atskleisti minimo laikotarpio vienuolyno istoriją, geriau pažįstant jo pirminę prasmę ir tęstinę vertę. Ją rašydamas stengiausi vienodai atidžiai išstudijuoti ir finansinę, ekonominę vienuolyno funkcionavimo pusę (kokios pajamos, iš kur gaunamos, kaip leidžiamos, kaip kito), ir liturgiją (pamaldų rutiną: kiek ir kada buvo meldžiamasi, kokios šventės švenčiamos), rūpestingai nušviesti pastatų istoriją, o taip pat aprašyti vienuolių kasdienybę (kas buvo veikiama ne pamaldų metu, kokių nusižengimų pasitaikydavę, kas buvo valgyta, auginta ir pan.). Viso šito siekdamas analizavau įvairius šaltinius - formalius vienuolijos, vienuolyno veiklos, vienuolių susirašinėjimo, bylinėjimosi dokumentus, vienuolyno aprašymus, vykta į komandiruotes, o taip pat naudojamasi ankstesnio projekto apie Pažaislio vienuolyno statybos istoriją metu sukauptomis istorinių šaltinių kopijomis iš Italijos ir Gruzijos archyvų. Kadangi iki šiol daugiausiai tyrinėtojų rašyta apie Pažaislio dailę ir architektūrą, platesnis žvilgsnis į vietos kamaldulių istoriją leis geriau pažinti patį vienuolyną, atpažinti jo simbolius, iš naujo perskaityti menines reikšmes. [Iš Įvado]Reikšminiai žodžiai: 17 amžius; 18 amžius; 19 amžius; Vienuolynai; Vienuoliai; Kamalduliai; Kasdienis gyvenimas; Monastery; Monks; Camaldolese; Daily life; 17th century; 18th century; 19th century.

ENThe Pažaislis Monastery was one of the seven Camaldolese monasteries in the Polish and Lithuanian province, as well as being the northernmost hermitage of the Camaldolese congregation of Monte Corona. Generally, it is the history of Pažaislis art that attracts the most attention. However, this art was not meant to surprise future generations, or to satisfy the selfish aesthetic desires of the artwork's patron. Representation was an important aspect of Pažaislis, but again it is only a piece of a larger story in this case. The Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Krzysztof Zygmunt Рас (1621-1684), built a beautiful, luxurious and ornate monastery, but he was playing a certain type of Baroque game that involved surprising and impressing his contemporaries. It is obvious that even a small brick monastery to shelter the remains of the patron and allow him to say the prayers for his salvation would have sufficed to fulfil the patron's pious intentions and his religious aspirations. It would also be perfectly reasonable to assert that at least some of the luxurious details in Pažaislis would have made any of Pac's private palaces in the state's capitals (Krakow, Warsaw, Vilnius or Grodno) the subject of discussions throughout the state. But Рас combined these intentions into one. He built what was perhaps the most luxurious and the most expensive Baroque-style monastery in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in these woods, and then gave it as a place of residence to the Camaldolese monks who were known to practice a secluded lifestyle. This is where the story of this book begins. It should be noted that Рас not only paid a great deal of attention to the appearance of the Pažaislis monastery. Before starting its construction, he made sure that a novitiate could be established at Pažaislis. This was an exception in the European history of the Camaldolese - as normally, there could be only one novitiate per province.Nevertheless, with the help of Pope Alexander VII, Рас made sure that the monastery would be allowed to teach novices. It is unclear if the Pažaislis monastery would have been decorated in this manner if its patron had not succeeded in this goal. The result was a chance for the local young people to join the Camaldolese, thus ensuring a stronger continuity of the monastery. At the same time, it allowed the Pažaislis monastery to rise above older monasteries in the hierarchy of European Camaldolese monasteries - as a novitiate, it ranked immediately after the main monastery of Monte Corona and the central monasteries in other provinces. Various historical references reveal that the patron Рас continued to ensure that the Pažaislis monastery would meet all the requirements of the Camaldolese monks and would be suited to their way of life. [...] This book discusses the main liturgical and economic aspects of life at Pažaislis. The key aim is to present not only the most important stages of Pažaislis history, and the events that led to the biggest turning points, but also to reveal the typical daily life of the Camaldolese - how they lived in Pažaislis and what they lived for. Their liturgy was closely connected to that of the other monasteries based on the Rule of Saint Benedict, although they had their own traditions and certain differences. The methods of how the novices were accepted and how they were taught are described in this book.The surviving material on the Pažaislis Monastery 1717-1757 provides more details about those who wanted to become Camaldolese monks, how they fared and the difficulties newcomers faced. Upon their arrival, newcomers were introduced at a chapter meeting, where their abilities were evaluated and they were allowed to experience life in the monastery for a little while. After this, the candidates were admitted to the novitiate (if they were not refused), but under different statuses. The eternal vows were given by the "father monks" (initially clerics) and "brother converts" while the "brother oblates" were accepted without making the eternal vows but by assuming similar conditions to those of the other monks in the hermitage. According to the statistics from the Polish and Lithuanian Camaldolese province, the absolute majority of members consisted of father monks and clerics (who could become father monks after spending 5 years in the monastery), while the number of brother converts and brother oblates was significantly lower and totalled less than a third of all the monks. In total, about a quarter of all the novices in the province were accepted to Pažaislis, while a larger majority were accepted to the Camaldolese monastery of Krakow. [From the publication]