Prince Ignacy Massalski () (1726–1794) was a Polish-Lithuanian

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

. Ignacy became a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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 was named

Bishop of Vilnius Bishops of Vilnius diocese from 1388 and archdiocese (archdiocese of Vilnius) from 1925:" ...

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII (; ; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. He was installed on 16 July 1758. ...

on 29 March 1762.''Hierarchia Catholica medii et recentioris aevi'', v. VI, Patavii 1958, p. 442 He was one of the initiators of the Commission for National Education. During his time on the commission, Massalski set up 300 parish schools. In 1776 he was removed from the Commission for

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

of public funds. He was succeeded as head of the commission by

Michał Jerzy Poniatowski Prince Michał Jerzy Poniatowski (12 October 1736 – 12 August 1794) was a Polish nobleman. Abbot of Tyniec and Czerwińsk (''opat tyniecki i czerwinski''), Bishop of Płock and Coadjutor Bishop of Kraków (''koadiutor krakowski'') from 17 ...

. He was a supporter of the

Targowica Confederation The Targowica Confederation (, , ) was a confederation established by Polish and Lithuanian magnates on 27 April 1792, in Saint Petersburg, with the backing of the Russian Empress Catherine II. The confederation opposed the Constitution of 3 May ...

and an opponent of the

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794, Second Polish War, Polish Campaign of 1794, and the Polish Revolution of 1794, was an uprising against the Russian and Prussian influence on the Polish–Lithuanian Common ...

. As bishop, Massalski was opposed to the

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

and

forcible conversion Forced conversion is the adoption of a religion or irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which were originally held, wh ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

children. He published a

pastoral letter A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circu ...

in 1783 condemning such practices. Massalski commissioned the reconstruction of the

Vilnius Cathedral The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius, also known as Vilnius Cathedral is the main Catholic cathedral in Lithuania. It is situated in Vilnius Old Town, just off Cathedral Square. Dedicated to the Christian saints ...

Laurynas Gucevičius Laurynas Gucevičius (; 1753–1798) was a Polish -Lithuanian architect from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where all of his designs were built. Biography He was born in the village of Migonys near Kupiškis, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. H ...

, which brought it to its present appearance. He became the owner of the

Verkiai Palace Verkiai Palace () is an 18th-century neoclassical architecture, neoclassical mansion in Verkiai, Vilnius, Lithuania. History Until the end of the 14th century this place was a property of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. There was a wooden manor ev ...

in 1780 and organized its major reconstruction in the Neoclassical style, also by Gucevičius. Accused of treason, he was hanged in Warsaw on 28 June 1794 by an

angry mob Mobbing, as a sociological term, refers either to bullying in any context, or specifically to that within the workplace, especially when perpetrated by a group rather than an individual. Psychological and health effects Victims of workplace mo ...

in the aftermath of the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

References

1726 births 1794 deaths People from Byerastavitsa district People from Trakai Voivodeship Ignacy Jakub Bishops of Vilnius Ecclesiastical senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Targowica confederates People executed for treason against Poland People executed by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth People executed by Poland by hanging Executed Polish people Executed Lithuanian people Executed Belarusian people 18th-century executions Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) {{Lithuania-noble-stub