Gabriel Lenkiewicz-Ipohorski, SJ (15 March 1722,

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

– 21 November 1798,

) was a Polish-Lithuanian Jesuit

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, and ''Temporary Vicar General'' of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

from 1785 until 1798, at a time when under papal suppression in all Catholic countries, the Society continued in

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Early years and formation

Lenkiewicz was born in

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

(today's

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

), in a noble Polish–Lithuanian family. He joined the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

after completing the 'Humanities'. He did his philosophy (1748–51) in Nieswiez and then studied

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

at the Academy of Vilnius (1752–54). This was followed by theology in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

(1754–58) where he was ordained priest (1757). After a few years teaching mathematics in Warsaw he was sent to Polish College in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

for further specialisation in

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

(1762–65).

Career

Back in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

he was appointed to teach science at

(1765–68) but he made himself a name rather as architect of public and ecclesiastical buildings, including the construction of new premises for the Jesuit College of Polotsk where Stanislaus Czerniewicz was the rector. After the First Partition of Poland-Lithuania and the second

Suppression of the Society of Jesus The suppression of the Society of Jesus was the removal of all members of the Jesuits from most of Western Europe and their respective colonies beginning in 1759 along with the abolition of the order by the Holy See in 1773; the papacy acceded ...

(1773) he became the right hand man of Vicar General Czerniewicz, negotiating alongside him the survival of the Jesuits with Empress

Catherine II of Russia Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

, all the while making sure that the standard of scientific education in Polotsk remained high. To Lenkiewicz, 'quality education' was an absolute necessity if the Society was to survive in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

The Second General - Interim - Congregation of Polotsk

Lenkiewicz was busy preparing the Second General (Interim) Congregation called to elect a successor to Stanislaw Czerniewicz (died in 1785) when news reached him that

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

had given verbal approval (12 March 1783) for the existence of the Society in Russia. At the Second General Congregation of Polotsk, Lenkiewicz was elected Vicar General on 8 October 1785. Much encouraged by the tacit approval of the Pope, the Congregation of Fathers did much to re-organise the life of the Society in Russia, after the first years of disarray, focusing on religious life and commitment, education (implementing the '' Ratio Studiorum''), formation, admission of ex-Jesuits, etc. The province in Russia then numbered 172 Jesuits (95 priests, 23 students, 48 brothers and 6 novices). They ran 6 high schools. Polotsk became the centre of all Jesuit activities.

Temporary Vicar General

As Vicar General Lenkiewicz established relations with ex-Jesuits who wanted to rejoin the Society. He developed missionary activities in the North, but had to struggle to maintain the Society’s independence in the face of interference from the local bishop. After the death of two strong supporters of the Society in Russia, the local Governor in 1791, and most especially after the death of Empress Catherine in 1796, Lenkiewicz went through tough times. He was heartened however, when her son and successor, Emperor Paul I, expressed support for the Jesuits, a few months after her death, in 1797. The Society's hope of being once again officially recognised was coming closer to realisation, when the

Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a List of historic states of Italy, historical state of Northern Italy. It was created by Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) for his son Pier Luigi Farnese, Du ...

, Italy, asked for some Jesuits to be sent to recommence work in Parma in 1793. Many ex-Jesuits asked to be re-affiliated with the Society in Russia in this period. The years when Lenkiewicz was Vicar General were characterised by improved stability in the life of the Jesuits in Russia, and by the renewal of apostolic activities. Young men arrived from all over

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

with the desire to join the Jesuits. Spending 30 years in Polotsk in various capacities Lenkiewicz made it a renowned place, with its scientific laboratory, rich library, museum of natural sciences, and other artistic and religious resources. He died in office in Polotsk.

References

Bibliography

*Marek Inglot: ''La Compagnia di Gesù nell'Imperio Russo (1772-1820)'', Roma, 1997. *S. Zalenski: ''Les Jésuites de la Russie Blanche'', (2 vol.), Paris, 1886.

Succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenkiewicz, Gabriel 1722 births 1798 deaths 18th-century Lithuanian Jesuits Belarusian Jesuits People from Polotsk Vilnius University alumni