Prof. Marian Zdziechowski
Marian Zdziechowski (1861-1938), historian of ideas and literature, philologist, philosopher, literary critic and publicist, professor at the Jagiellonian University, rector of Stefan Batory University in Vilnius, honorary doctor of many European universities, belonged to the group of excellently educated representatives of the borderland landed gentry. He should undoubtedly be regarded as one of the most important conservative thinkers of his time. A connoisseur of Western European intellectual currents, he followed and commented on current events.

When in 1930, on the initiative of the authorities of the Stefan Batory University, the Research Institute of Eastern Europe was established in Vilnius, Marian Zdziechowski, as an expert on the 'Russian idea', often criticised for the catastrophic nature of his views on Bolshevism and Soviet Russia, exerted a significant influence on the development of sovietology research.

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, he wrote: We are facing the end of history. Every day bears witness to the progress of moral pride, which, rushing from Soviet Russia, seizes all countries, sinks into the organisms of all nations, initiates decay processes everywhere, plunges into the depths of decay and savagery (...). In a word, the world is becoming Bolshevised. Europe and with it Poland are sinking into the mud of moral decay. "A man emptied of individuality and conscience, with the mentality of a spy, with the soul of an executioner, and subjected to the discipline of the hangman's noose" (quoted in. (quoted after Louis Bertrand "Le livre de consolation" Paris 1933), is recognised, according to the Soviet gospel, as the ideal man and model for our times, and the propaganda of the new ideal in its various forms, according to place and environment, is looked upon by the whole of our society with benevolent neutrality (M. Zdziechowski "W obliczu końca". Second supplementary edition, Vilnius 1938, pp. VII and IX).

Zdziechowski began his education in a Russian gymnasium in Minsk. He undertook university studies in St Petersburg, graduating from the University of Dorpat. This was followed by further studies in Zagreb, Graz and Geneva. He started his scientific and publishing activities already during his studies in Dorpat. He recalled his stay at this university as follows: "I spent there, as a student, only two years (1880-1882). Later, in 1884-1886, I commuted there and stayed there for several months at a time while preparing my first book, Messianics and Slavophiles, for publication - and it is these last years that I remember most fondly (...). I came to Dorpat with far-reaching aspirations: they went parallel and close together, aiming at one common goal for all of us young people, which was, of course, the liberation, rebirth, rebuilding of Poland". (M. Zdziechowski "Fragment from an unpublished diary" in: Polonia Convention. History - People - Deeds. Vilnius 1939, p. 303).

Zdziechowski clearly liked the atmosphere of Dorpat, which was conducive to the independence of students, especially those who knew how to direct their studies and appreciate the knowledge of outstanding lecturers. During his studies, he belonged to the academic corporation Konwent Polonia. The memoirs he left behind, describing the "spirit of Dorpat", as he puts it - subjective, written from the point of view of a person who did not take an active part in corporation life - were described in the article "Fragment from an unpublished diary", published in Vilnius, in 1939, in the collection Konwent Polonia. History - People - Deeds.

Until his death, he lived in Vilnius, at 42 Antokolska Street (now 36). A 19th-century manor house owned by Marian Zdziechowski has been preserved in Suderwa, near Vilnius. Today it houses a school bearing his name.

Zdziechowski died in Vilnius on 5 October 1938 after a serious illness and was laid to rest at Antokol, in the military cemetery, by the side of his wife, Maria née Kotwicz.

They were married for nearly 50 years. He spoke warmly of her in the introduction to the second edition of his book Facing the End: "for me, on the other hand, she was not only a companion but a collaborator. If my works and writings have gained some recognition, it is largely, very largely, thanks to the fact that from the very beginning, +with an effort that was overcome as if without effort+, she removed all difficulties from my path, taking upon herself all the practical side of life, all the worries and sorrows, all the burdens that after the war became particularly heavy and acute (...). Shall I add to this that the 50-year co-existence with her kept my mind and soul on a higher level, was a blessing from God in the arduous journey through life, which the great Cardinal Newman described with the words ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem - and he had these words engraved on his tombstone (M. Zdziechowski "W obliczu końca". Second supplementary edition, Vilnius 1938, pp. V-VI).

Tombstone of the Zdziechowskis at the Antokol Cemetery
. The Zdziechowskis' gravestone in the Antokol Cemetery (plot 2, no. 8) has the form of a tall Latin cross on a flat, two-stepped base. It was made of dark red granite. The foundation and base are concrete.

It has two inscriptions: an older one, carved in stone, dedicated to Zdziechowski's wife, and a newer, cast-iron plaque dedicated to the 'prophet from Vilnius'. The first of these has the following content: Ś.P. / MARIA z KOTWICZÓW ZDZIECHOWSKA / UR. 3. IV. 1861 R. DIED. 13. VIII. 1936 R. / TUIS ENIM FIDELIBUS AETERNA IN COELIS HABITATIO COMPARATUR. These words are a fragment of the "Preface on the Dead" from the Roman Missal. The plaque on the stone cross bears the inscription: THE LATE P.P./ MARIAN ZDZIECHOWSKI - / PROF. U.S.B. / * 30.IV.1861 / Æ 5.X.1938 / FIL. C! POLONIA / FIL. H. C! RUTHENIA / VILNENSIS.

The inscription recalls that the Deceased was a professor at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius and a philistine of the academic corporation Konwent Polonia, as well as an honorary philistine of Konwent Ruthenia Vilnensis. The plaque bears a Latin cross and the intersection of its arms shows a stylised sign of Α and Ω. The first and last letter of the classical Greek alphabet symbolise the omnipotent God, the beginning and the end, birth and death.

The conservation of the Zdziechowskis' tombstone was carried out in 2011. The initiator of the work was the Academic Tradition Society. Financial resources were provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. The work was entrusted to Polish art conservators: Dr Janusz Smaza of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and Marta Dacyna.