Pilgrim, or Chvalibog

CZARTORYSKA IZABELLA, PIELGRZYM W DOBROMILU CZYLI NAUKI WIEJSKIE, WILNO, 1861.

Chvalibog, or God-Worshipper, is a character from the book ‘Pilgrim from Dobromil’ (Pielgrzym w Dobromilu czyli nauki wiejskie) by Izabela Czartoryska. He is a wise and honest nobleman of some learning, a war veteran who fought and was wounded in the battles for his homeland. In his old age he returns home, but all he finds are ruins and the graves of his family, so he sets off on a pilgrimage to holy sites. After settling in the village of Dobromil near Cracow, he starts teaching village children how to read and write, the basic tenets of religion, and practical agricultural matters. He also tells stories about the country’s past, events in its history, and its heroes. The patriotic story of the homeland that emerges evokes Christian values and the ideals of the noble life. The lithograph Pilgrim, or Chvalibog by Wincenty Smokowski (1797–1876), which depicts the main protagonist of the story, formed the frontispiece of the 1861 Vilnius edition of the book. A very similar illustration, different only in a few details, had already been printed in the 1852 edition in Warsaw. The artist conveyed a generalised image of a dignified and wise itinerant teacher, eschewing material wealth, which encapsulated the period’s experiences and ideals.

Text author Rūta Janonienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė

CZARTORYSKA IZABELLA, PIELGRZYM W DOBROMILU CZYLI NAUKI WIEJSKIE, WILNO, 1861.

Chvalibog, or God-Worshipper, is a character from the book ‘Pilgrim from Dobromil’ (Pielgrzym w Dobromilu czyli nauki wiejskie) by Izabela Czartoryska. He is a wise and honest nobleman of some learning, a war veteran who fought and was wounded in the battles for his homeland. In his old age he returns home, but all he finds are ruins and the graves of his family, so he sets off on a pilgrimage to holy sites. After settling in the village of Dobromil near Cracow, he starts teaching village children how to read and write, the basic tenets of religion, and practical agricultural matters. He also tells stories about the country’s past, events in its history, and its heroes. The patriotic story of the homeland that emerges evokes Christian values and the ideals of the noble life. The lithograph Pilgrim, or Chvalibog by Wincenty Smokowski (1797–1876), which depicts the main protagonist of the story, formed the frontispiece of the 1861 Vilnius edition of the book. A very similar illustration, different only in a few details, had already been printed in the 1852 edition in Warsaw. The artist conveyed a generalised image of a dignified and wise itinerant teacher, eschewing material wealth, which encapsulated the period’s experiences and ideals.

Text author Rūta Janonienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė