Preface

The year 2024 marks 400th birth anniversary of the Grand Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas (1624–1682). To honour this occasion, the staff members of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Dr Justina Sipavičiūtė and Dr Andrius Jurkevičius have put together a virtual exhibition “Blooming Lily and Shining Pearl: The Grand Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas (1624–1682)”.

In this exhibition, visitors will find more about the Pacas family and the Grand Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas: they will be able to view original draft genealogical charts and the Pacas family tree of and find out how Pacas is named in them. Visitors will have an exclusive opportunity to take a closer look at the seals, original signatures, and clues about the Pacas family history. On display are authentic documents of Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas and the 17th century publications he is mentioned in. Visitors will find out why Pacas was depicted as the coat of arms of the Lithuanian state and be given an overview of his depiction in the pictures of that time, as well as a glimpse at two beautiful surviving buildings that maintain the cultural memory of the Grand Hetman.  For this occasion, The Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences opens its abundant records for all to see.

The exhibition was prepared by Dr. Justina Sipavičiūtė and Dr. Andrius Jurkevičius
Scientific consultant – Dr. Sigitas Narbutas
Edited by Dr. Artūras Judžentis and Dr. Giedrė Miknienė
Documents digitized by Alfredas Kulingauskas
Posted online by Audronė Steponaitienė

Our heartfelt thanks:
To the director of Hotel PACAI Rūta Pulkauninkaitė-Macikė
To the director of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Dr. Sigitas Narbutas
To the director of the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Dr. Vydas Dolinskas
To the director of the National Museum of Lithuania Dr. Rūta Kačkutė
To the director of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art Dr. Arūnas Gelūnas
To the director of the Department of Scientific Research and Heritage Collections of the Vilnius University Library Nijolė Klingaitė-Dasevičienė for allowing the images of Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas, kept in their institutions, to be published.

Exhibition partner and sponsor
Hotel PACAI