Poland in Lebanon

Excellencies,

Your Excellency, Reverend Father,

Your Excellency, Mr. Ambassador,

Dear Guests,

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

You have gathered in the outstanding monastic complex of Saint Anthony of Padua in Ghazir, to open a new version of an symbolic exhibition, commemorating stay in Lebanon of one of the most important Polish poets of the Romantic era – Juliusz Słowacki.

First of all I would like to thank all those who maintain Polish heritage in this beautiful country for their consistent effort and engagement to do so. The Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage is always willing to support all the projects concerning protection and promotion of our national heritage abroad. Furthermore from the bottom of my heart I would like to thank those who were involved in the preparation of a new symbolic exhibition. I do appreciate the authorities of the monastery for hosting our symbolic  exhibition and for the kindness shown during realization of this project. I would like to thank His Excellency Przemysław Niesiołowski – Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Lebanese Republic and the staff of the Polish Embassy in Beirut for the tremendous work done within the project. And last but not least I would like to thank the curators from the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature for substantive work and preparation of the symbolic exhibition.

Along with Adam Mickiewicz and Zygmunt Krasiński, Juliusz Słowacki is considered as one of the Polish National Bards. The poet stayed for 45 days in this monastery in 1837 during his tour of the Middle East. He described and illustrated his impressions of the stay in the pages of an album and a diary, which included, among others, two sketches of the sky above the monastery. Most importantly, in the monastery he wrote the first version of a well-known Polish poem Anhelli. The lines of this masterpiece witness an enormous spiritual transformation, that the poet underwent during his stay in Lebanon. Finally, the work was published in 1838, in Paris, and dedicated to Stefan Hollinski, Juliusz Słowacki's friend and companion on a trip to the Middle East "(...) in memory of our meeting in the Holy Land and under the mountains of Lebanon."

The bard had a special affection for this place. From the letters that he wrote to his mother, a picture of the promised land and a gorgeous and flourishing spring emerges. Even six months after leaving Lebanon he wrote: "It is true what the eastern people say, that who once tasted the air there, if he can, will be back there again, despite all the inconveniences of travel. Life there is so strange and light, that now Europe seems gloomy to me. The houses have darken, the air has thickened, someone has blew and fogged the glass on the mirror of dreams."

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It was not only the poet Słowacki that brought our two nations together. Polish Jesuit Maximilian Ryłło established the Collegium Asiaticum in 1841, which afterwards was transformed into the prestigious University of Saint Joseph in Beirut. During World War II, hospitable Lebanon became a safe shelter and second home for numerous Polish refugees. The first group of Poles arrived from France and they were first of all soldiers. The next wave of refugees arrived in 1942-1943 and was dominated by civilians who left the Soviet Union with General Anders’ Army. In 1946, Poles who found refuge in Lebanon placed on the walls of this monastery the first commemorative plaque dedicated to Słowacki. There are almost 140 graves in the Polish cemetery in Beirut; among those buried there are the well-known Polish architect Karol Schayer, author of numerous important buildings erected in modernist style in Beirut, Tripoli or Sidon-Sayda, and Hanka Ordonówna, the famous Polish singer, dancer, actress, songwriter, and pre-war star of stage and cinema, who wrote with affection in a thank-you note for the Lebanese state award: "Lebanon, my second homeland".

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I hope that the symbolic exhibition, renewed after more than two decades, will contribute to the promotion of Polish culture and poetry, keep alive the memory of our national bard Słowacki, deepen the ties linking Poland with Lebanon and will be visited by large numbers of tourists and pilgrims visiting this inspiring place.

I hereby declare the symbolic exhibition officially opened.

 

Ghazir,  7^th November 2022