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Maecenasship
The Ogiński family, from its very first generations, was renowned for its charity and cultural patronage. The Ogiński men and women would support church institutions of all the confessions existing in the state: Catholic, Orthodox, Reformer; they also built the first in Lithuania Lourdes Grotto honouring the Blessed Virgin Mary, financed book publishing (books by Meletius Smotrytsky, Mikalojus Akelaitis, Laurynas Ivinski etc.), Vilnius University and the education of civil servants; kept a ballet troupe and an orchestra; founded a music school; supported the Vilnius Society of the Friends of Science and war refugees at the time of World War I; provided upkeep of orphanages; organized agricultural and artisan fairs and exhibitions; presided over the Charity Society. This chapter contains documents providing evidence on these activities (papers of various foundations, inventories, letters, books), images (photographs, sketches). The chronological range of the documents is 1616–1932.
