The Publishing of Matthias Held’s Physiologiae clavis (1653) in Kėdainiai, Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Publishing of Matthias Held’s Physiologiae clavis (1653) in Kėdainiai, Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Summary/Abstract: Matthias Held’s work Physiologiae clavis (‘Key to physiology’) was printed in Kėdainiai in the middle of the 17th century. Historically, it is noteworthy that the book came into being against the background of a clash between mainstream Catholics and Polish-Lithuanian Protestant (Calvinist) minority. The work is a very remarkable event in two aspects: as Lithuanian cultural heritage and as the first book of physiology published in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). It is also noteworthy that the book is scientific but not a religious one. The title page indicates that it was printed in Kėdainiai at the Gymnasium Illustre printing house, founded by Joachim Georg Rhet. Let us study the reasons why Held’s book of physiological nature was published in this town. In that period seven printing houses operated in the GDL. Of these seven, the printing house of Vilnius Jesuit Academy boasted the greatest workload (Narbutienė, 2004; Narbutienė & Narbutas, 1998). In the 17th century, the total of 865 books were published in Latin and 818 books were issued in Polish in the GDL (Ivanovič, 1998, p. 7; Narbutienė, 2004, p. 61). There was more than one reason why Held’s book was published namely in Kėdainiai. Primarily, owing to the general cultural environment created by the Biržai-Dubingiai branch of the Radziwiłł family, Janusz Radziwiłł (or Jonušas Radvila in the Lithuanian tradition) in particular. The Radziwiłł family made every endeavour to make Biržai and Kėdainiai the cultural centres of their possessions. When the Biržai and Dubingiai branch of the Radziwiłł family took hold of Kėdainiai, the town gradually became the centre of Evangelical Reformed Church of Samogitia (Lukšaitė, 2001, p. 11). After the death of Krzysztof Radziwiłł II in 1640, his son Janusz Radziwiłł became the Governor of Kėdainiai.

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