In the heart of the Sejm complex, a gallery of sculptures depicting the Speakers of the Chamber of Deputies from the period of the First Republic was initiated.
Marshal of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński unveiling the busts of the co-authors of the 3rd of May Constitution: Stanisław Małachowski, Marshal of the Four-Year Sejm, and Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha, Marshal of the Confederation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, said:
We unveil the statues of these two marshals first, because this year we are celebrating the 450th anniversary of the signing of the Union of Lublin.
It united the two states, allowing for the creation of a unique parliamentary system in Europe.
And the confirmation of the durability of the idea of the union took place in 1791 during the Four-Year Sejm in the presence of Marshals Malachowski and Sapieha.
The wisdom and foresight of both marshals, the deep political sense political sense and respect for republican values made it possible to combine the for sovereignty with reforming the system of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These ideas are still and inspiring.
Last year, the act of union of Lublin was inscribed on the UNESCO World Memory of the World Program, which was jointly sought by Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine.
We hope that these sculptures, as works of national art placed in the grounds of the Sejm, as well as the portraits of the Marshals of the First and Second Republics, will help to shape the historical memory and social sensitivity of the Poles," emphasized the Speaker of the Sejm.
This gallery is one of the projects undertaken last year as part of the celebrations of the 550th anniversary of the Parliamentarism of the Republic of Poland.
Photo by Marta Olejnik
C A Z I M I E R Z
N E S T O R S A P I E H A
1754-1798
He studied at the Knights School (1767-1771). General of the Lithuanian Artillery
(1773-1792). At the Great Sejm in 1788, he became marshal of the confederation
Lithuanian. At first he leaned towards the Hetman's side
(related to hetman Franciszek Ksawery Branicki), but under
Under the influence of Stanisław Małachowski he went over to the side of the supporters
reforms and swore in the Constitution of May 3. He protested against the accession of
Stanisław August to the Targowicki Confederation and left Poland. After
the outbreak of the Kościuszko Uprising, he returned to the country and fought
in the rank of captain of artillery, and after the fall of the insurrection he went again
He went into exile. His Sejm speeches were published in print, his poems
He published in "Zabawy Przyjemne i Pożytecznych" ("Pleasant and Useful Plays").
The author of the bust Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha is Marek Szczepanik, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, a sculptor from Radom, cooperating with the Institute of National Remembrance and the "We Remember" Foundation, the author of, among others, several monuments dedicated to the soldiers of the cursed, the Monument to the Deeds of Legions and Jan Kiliński in Radom.
S T A N I S M
M A Ł A C H O W S K I
1736-1809
He signed the election of Stanisław August (1764). One of the most prominent
members of the patriotic party, supported the emancipatory aspirations of
townsmen. Judge and Marshal of the Crown Tribunal from 1774, famous
of impeccable integrity (called the Polish Aristides). Referendarz
Grand Crown Prince (1780-1792). As Speaker of the Great Sejm (1788-1792)
worked to bring together the positions of the patriotic party
and royalty. He participated in drafting the text of the 3rd of May Constitution.
In 1792, he publicly condemned the Targowica Confederation and demonstratively
resigned from office, having previously limited (suspended) the deliberations of the Great Sejm.
Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (1782). In 1807 he became president of the Commission
He was also a member of the ruling party and later the president of the Senate of the Duchy of Warsaw.
The author of the bust Stanislaw Malachowski is Elżbieta Kołodziejczyk-Macander, lecturer in the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Sculpture and Architectural Elements at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Her achievements include the restoration of works by Józef Gosławski, which since 2013 have decorated the courtyard of the Sejm, and the conservation of
interior of the St. Lawrence Collegiate Church in Zhovkva, Ukraine. The bronze cast of the bust was made by Marek Zebrowski, a sculptor from Bielsko-Biala.
