Exhibition on the History and Heritage of the Pacs Family Opens at the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

An international exhibition, „The Pacs. Lilies in the Garden of History“, dedicated to the history and heritage of the noble Pacs family, has opened at the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. The museum invites visitors to explore the origins of this influential family, their centuries-old traditions, and their enduring legacy for present and future generations in Lithuania.

 

The Pacs family was one of Lithuania’s oldest, most powerful, and wealthiest noble houses, holding the title of counts. Highly educated and renowned for their refined artistic taste, the Pacs left behind some of Lithuania’s most valuable Baroque-era heritage. At one point, they even became de facto rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, continuing the tradition of safeguarding and strengthening Lithuanian statehood. Due to their exceptional role in Lithuanian history, the Pacs family is often compared to the noble Radziwiłł and Sapieha dynasties.

 

Dr Vydas Dolinskas, one of the exhibition’s curators and Director General of the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, emphasised the significance of this project: "We have undertaken an enormous task. It took three years to prepare this exhibition, dedicated to the history and heritage of the Pacs family. With this project, we continue our tradition of showcasing Lithuania’s most distinguished noble families, whose legacies remain invaluable. In 2012, we presented an exhibition on the Sapieha family, and five years ago, we focused on the Radziwiłłs. The Pacs exhibition is unique because this noble family became extinct in the 19th century. As a result, no one was left to preserve their heritage, expand their collections, or maintain their family image. Therefore, this exhibition serves to honour the achievements of a once-great but now vanished noble dynasty and highlight their unique cultural legacy."

 

A record number of lenders—more than fifty institutions and private collectors from Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine—have contributed exhibits to the exhibition. Additionally, over ten institutions from Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Türkiye have provided visual materials.

 

 

The exhibition features a newly created genealogical tree of the Pacs family. Their ambition to establish power and glory in Lithuania is reflected in a family legend claiming they descended from ancient Romans. Visitors can also explore the family’s 17th–18th-century handwritten genealogical charts, armorials, and a portrait of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, a Carmelite nun from Florence, believed to be a relative of the Pacs family.

 

Throughout Lithuanian history, the Pacs distinguished themselves as insightful politicians and diplomats, talented military commanders, devout patrons of the Church, generous benefactors of the arts, and astute landowners. Their ancestors entered the political elite as early as the first half of the 15th century, reaching the peak of their influence and prestige in the 17th century. Over the years, eighteen Pacs became senators of Lithuania and Poland, eleven held ministerial positions in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and twenty-one served as high-ranking state officials. Five family members became bishops, while eleven embraced monastic or religious life.

 

One of the most distinguished figures in the family, Grand Chancellor of Lithuania Kristupas Zigmantas Pacas—often referred to as "the teacher of Lithuanian lords"—is represented in the exhibition by a unique seal comparable to a ruler’s insignia. In his efforts to strengthen Lithuania’s independence, he persuaded the Sejm in 1673 to mandate that every third session of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s parliament be held in Lithuania. Another prominent statesman, Grand Hetman of Lithuania Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas, is celebrated in the exhibition with objects associated with his military achievements, including a mace, a treasure chest, a war drum taken as a trophy from battles against the Ottomans, hussar half-armour adorned with feathers, and royal privileges granted to him. The exhibition also gathers nearly all known portraits of the Pacs family’s most notable members—an exceptional achievement given the scarcity of surviving examples.

 

 

According to the exhibition’s chief curator, Polish art historian Prof. habil. Dr Anna Sylwia Czyż, "The Pacs were one of the most highly educated noble families, commissioning artists such as the Italian painter Michelangelo Palloni, which set them apart from other noble houses of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Their intellectual and artistic sophistication is evident in the architectural heritage that has survived to this day and in the luxurious and masterfully crafted symbols of faith and devotion they gifted to churches."

 

The "golden generation" of the Pacs family in the late 17th century financed the construction of significant landmarks, including the Pažaislis Camaldolese Monastery and Church, the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Vilnius, and donations to Vilnius Cathedral and St Casimir’s Church. The exhibition showcases opulent liturgical vestments adorned with the Pacs coat of arms, exquisite goldsmith-crafted vessels, and religious paintings. Additionally, visitors can see depictions of the family’s most important ecclesiastical foundations and a model of the Pažaislis complex, often compared to Spain’s El Escorial. According to A. S. Czyż, these artefacts’ historical and artistic significance allow scholars to speak of a distinctive "Pacs Baroque era" in Lithuania.

 

For the first time in nearly two centuries, five heraldic tapestries commissioned by Grand Hetman of Lithuania and Voivode of Vilnius Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas have been brought together in one place. The exhibition also highlights the tragic fate of the Pacs family’s palace collections, which were looted and destroyed by Russian forces. Empty picture frames and small reproductions of Pacs family portraits hidden in Smolensk serve as a poignant reminder of this loss.

 

Also on display are fragments of the art collection assembled by the last male descendant of the Pacs family, General Count Liudvikas Mykolas Pacas. His collection included ancient relics, paintings by renowned artists, and sculptures. A prominent patron and collector, he inherited the family’s wealth and established luxurious residences in Dowspuda and Warsaw. However, his involvement in the 1831 uprising against Russia forced him into exile, and his vast estates were confiscated.

 

 

The exhibition features nearly 300 artefacts, including paintings, prints, sculptures, textiles, goldsmithery, applied arts, drawings, architectural plans, early photographs, historical documents, rare books, weapons, armour, and other historical relics from museums, libraries, archives, churches, monasteries, and private collections in Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.

 

As Grzegorz Niemczyk, a representative of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Poland and a co-organiser of the exhibition, explains: "Discussing our shared history is not always easy—we have difficult topics to address, and we should exchange ideas about them. However, the history of Poland and Lithuania is primarily a story of attempts to build a community of nations. Preserving the memory of noble families like the Pacs allows us to better understand the intertwined destinies of all Central and Eastern European peoples. There are many chapters of history worth rediscovering and telling, and we are delighted to contribute to the initiatives of the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania."

 

The international exhibition „The Pacs. Lilies in the Garden of History“ is held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda; the Metropolitan Archbishop of Vilnius, Gintaras Grušas; and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaunas, Kęstutis Kėvalas. The exhibition’s concept and curation were led by Prof. habil. Dr Anna Sylwia Czyż, Dr Vydas Dolinskas, and Marijus Uzorka. Open to the public from 30 October, the exhibition will run for three months, concluding on the last Sunday of January 2025.