Having been sent to the provinces of Lithuania in 1966, the ex-Soviet political prisoner and Catholic priest Fr Stanislovas made Paberžė an attractive place for the intelligentsia and people who shared non-Soviet attitudes. Fr Stanislovas became widely known in Lithuania for his deep sermons and his ability to attract and engage people through various initiatives, like collecting, repairing and restoring old things, his philosophical attitude towards things (similar to that of Rainer Maria Rilke), and the importance of activity. The items (material objects) in the collection are a testimony to the environment in which the cultural opposition led by Fr Stanislovas discussed political, religious and social issues during Soviet times.
Having been sent to the dull Lithuanian provinces in 1966, the ex-Soviet political prisoner and priest Fr Stanislovas (Algirdas Mykolas Dobrovolskis) made Paberžė an attractive place for the intelligentsia and people who held anti-Soviet attitudes. He became widely known in Lithuania for his deep sermons and his ability to attract and engage people through various initiatives, like repairing and restoring old things, his philosophical attitude towards things (similar to that of Rainer Maria Rilke), and the importance of activity. Fr Stanislovas was a polyglot, and he used his knowledge of foreign languages for his sermons. He also translated works into Lithuanian, such as the poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, from German. Fr Stanislovas started by repairing and restoring an old wooden church that had a famous history going back to the armed anti-tsarist rebellion of 1863. The parish priest Antanas Mackevičius (1828-1863) and people from his community had joined in the anti-tsarist rebellion. Many of them, including Mackevičius, were killed during the rebellion, or executed after it was put down. The old church was in poor condition, and Fr Stanislovas took on its restoration. He used the local community and his personal ties with the intelligentsia in many Lithuanian cities to repair the church and its property. Step by step, the place became like a local ethnographic museum. Fr Stanislovas paid particular attention to religious objects. He saved from destruction works by Vincas Svirskis (1835-1916, a distinguished Lithuanian folk sculptor, famous for his carved wooden crosses), having them restored and placing them in Paberžė church. He and his supporters formed the biggest collection of lamps, vestments and other liturgical items.
Popis obsahu
There are only a few documents (drafts) and photographs in the collection. They consist mainly of items collected by Fr Stanislovas and his followers. Restored church lamps, vestments, bells and crosses made in Soviet times and presented in their hundreds today make a unique environment for contemplation and discussions of social and political themes.
