Yanowski Jan is a Polish bibliographer, science writer and clergyman. Interest in his person is caused by the fact that he made a huge contribution to the development of the culture of Poland in the 18th century. In addition, he was one of those who helped the Załuski brothers set up the first free Polish library.
Yanovsky Jan: biography of early years
The future writer was born in December 1720 in the small town of Mendzyhud. His family belonged to the so-called Lusatian estate, common among the direct descendants of the Serbs. But despite this, German became the native language for Jan, as all his relatives spoke it.
Senior Yanovsky was a man of action, and therefore was almost always at work. He earned his bread by trading in wood, and part-time sewing clothes in one of his workshops. Yanovsky sent his son to study at the Holy Cross School, which was located in Dresden.
In the future, spiritual education will help Jan get the most important position in his life. It should be noted that the young Pole was an extremely gifted youth and quicklylearned the material that the teachers conveyed. Moreover, he took an active part in the spiritual life of the school and even sang in the boys' choir in the local chapel.
Higher education
As mentioned earlier, Yan Yanovsky was a diligent and diligent student. Thanks to this, in 1738 he received a scholarship, which he later spent on studying at the Pforz Pedagogical University. As before, he showed only his good side, which allowed him to impress many of his friends. Among them was a certain B. H. Jonish, a man who later greatly 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 his student years that Jan Yanovsky kindled his interest in books and literature. He devoted all his free time to studying his hobby, not skimping on frequent trips to the best libraries in the country.
The 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, loved books with all their hearts. Among them was B. Kh. Yonish, a bibliographer and scientist already well-known at that time. It was he who brought Janowski and Andrzej Załuski together.
This acquaintance changed everything. The men quickly found a common language, and soon Andrzej offered Jan to work for his brother Jozef Załuski. The position was very attractive - personal secretary and librarian. And if the first promised good earnings, thenthe second allowed you to stay in the library as long as you wanted.
Yan 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 performed all the duties of a secretary, and, if necessary, helped the brothers in the library.
Service for the good of the church
November 30, 1750 Jan Yanovsky converted to the Catholic faith. Moreover, given his spiritual education, he was immediately promoted to the lowest clergy. Together with the new faith, he received the second name Andrei-Jozef.
In December of the same year, he was appointed canon to the Skalbmir College. He remained in this sacred post until 1760, after which he was transferred to one of the Kyiv cathedrals. By and large, all this time he did nothing but catalog catalogs of Catholic books, for which he received great gratitude from the church.
Zaluski Library
The main merit of Andrzej and Jozef Załuski is the creation of the first free library in Poland. Preparations for its opening began in 1742, and the official start took place on August 8, 1747. Naturally, Jan Yanovsky was also directly involved in the development of such an ambitious project.
Initially, he was assigned only secondary tasks. He oversaw construction, cataloged available books, participated in auctions, and so on. However, over time, the brothers gained respect for Yanovsky, and he became part of their team. For example, it is well known thatJan assisted Jozef in writing the biobibliographic dictionary Bibliotheca Polona Magna Universalis.
Given all the merits of Yanovsky, it is not surprising that in September 1747 he was put at the head of the new library. Załuski. 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 Jan leave behind? Naturally, there is no photo of the bibliographer, since the first camera will appear only after his death. However, there is a small engraving depicting a Pole at a more mature age. But even so, the memory of him will live forever, because the fruits of his labor are still kept in the National Library. Załuski. In addition, the library itself is proof that Jan Andrei-Jozef Janowski was a worthy and great person.
The only sad thing is that this Polish writer couldn't follow his dream to the very end. Working with books led to the fact that his eyesight began to gradually deteriorate. As a result, in 1775 he became completely blind. Yanovsky spent the rest of his life as a clergyman. He died on October 29, 1786 in Warsaw.
