Jan Yanovsky: biography, achievements and memory

Janowski Jan - Polish bibliographer, scientific writer and clergyman. Interest in his person is due to the fact that he made a huge contribution to the development of Polish culture of the XVIII century. In addition, he was one of those who helped the Zaluski brothers to equip the first free Polish library.

Yanovsky Yan: biography of the early years

The future writer was born in December 1720 in the small town of Mendzyhud. His family belonged to the so-called puddle estate, distributed among the direct descendants of the Serbs. But despite this, the native language for Jan was German, as all his relatives said on it.

Senior Yanovsky was a man of business, and therefore almost always was in the work. He made bread for bread by trading in wood, and in combination sewed clothes in one of his workshops. Son Yanovski sent to study at the school of the Holy Cross, which was in Dresden.

In the future, spiritual education will help Ian get the most important position in his life. It should be noted that the young Pole was an extremely gifted young man and quickly learned the material that the teacher was telling. Moreover, he took an active part in the spiritual life of the school and even sang in the choir of boys in the local chapel.

Higher education

As mentioned earlier, Jan Yanovsky was a diligent and diligent student. Due to this in 1738 he received a scholarship, which later spent on training at the Porter Pedagogical University. As before, he showed himself only on the good side, which allowed him to impress many of his friends. Among them was a certain B. Kh. Jonishem - a man who later strongly influenced the fate of Jan Yanovsky.

However, at the university the young man acquired not only knowledge, but also a new passion. According to available data, it was during the student years that Yan Yanovskiy fired his interest in books and literature. All his free time he devoted to studying his hobby, not skimping on frequent trips to the best libraries of the country.

Acquaintance that changed everything

In 1945, Jan Yanovsky once again visited the library in Dresden. Here the young man met his friends, who, like him, wholeheartedly loved books. Among them was B. Kh. Yonishem - already a bibliographer and scientist, known at the time. It was he who brought together Yanovsky and Andrzej Zaluski.

This acquaintance changed everything. The men quickly found a common language, and soon Andrzej suggested that Ian work for his brother Jozef Zaluski. The position was very attractive - a personal secretary and a librarian. And if the first promised good earnings, the second allowed you to stay in the library for as long as you want.

Jan Yanovsky almost immediately accepted the brothers' offer. In June 1745 he finally moved to Warsaw, where he rented a small apartment. For the next five years he diligently fulfilled all the duties of a secretary, and, if necessary, helped the brothers in the library.

Service for the benefit of the church

November 30, 1750 Jan Janowski received the Catholic faith. Moreover, given his spiritual education, he was immediately promoted to the lower order. Together with the new faith he received a second name, Andrew-Jozef.

In December of the same year he was appointed a canon in the Skalbmir College. On this sacred post he remained until 1760, after which he was transferred to one of the Kiev cathedrals. By and large, all this time he did only that he compiled catalogs of Catholic books, for which he received a huge gratitude from the church.

Zaluski Library

The main merit of Andrzej and Jozef Zaluski is the creation of the first free library in Poland. Preparation for its opening began in 1742, and the official start took place on August 8, 1747. Naturally, Jan Yanovsky also took a direct part in the development of such an ambitious project.

Initially, he was assigned only secondary tasks. He oversaw the construction, compiled catalogs of available books, participated in auctions and so on. However, over time, the brothers were imbued with respect for Yanovsky, and he became part of their team. For example, it is reliably known that Ian helped Józef in writing the biobibliographic dictionary Bibliotheca Polona Magna Universalis.

Given all the achievements of Janowski, it is not surprising that in September 1747 he was placed at the head of the new library named after. Zaluski. Together with his associates, he managed to collect more than 300 thousand books and 10 thousand manuscripts, which was a real feat for those times.

Memory in history

What did Yanovsky Yan leave behind? Photo bibliographer, of course, no, because the first camera will appear only after his death. However, there is a small engraving depicting a Pole in a more mature age. But even so the memory of him will live forever, because the fruits of his work are still stored in the national library of him. Zaluski. In addition, the library itself is proof that Yan Andrej-Jozef Janowski was a worthy and great person.

Sadness is that this Polish writer could not follow his dream until the very end. Working with books led to the fact that his vision began to gradually deteriorate. As a result, in 1775 he was completely blind. The rest of his life, Yanovsky spent as a clergyman. He died on October 29, 1786 in Warsaw.