Jan de Witte
Encyclopedia
Jan de Witte was a Polish
military engineer, professional officer and architect of Dutch
descent. The author of, among others, the Dominican church
in Lwów (modern Lviv
, Ukraine
) and the Carmelite monastery in Berdyczów (modern Berdychiv
, Ukraine), he was also the military commandant of the fortress at Kamieniec Podolski (modern Kamianets-Podilskyi
, Ukraine).
army encampment near Poltava
on 8th July 1709, as a son of Jan de Witte (the Elder), professional officer coming from a Dutch Protestant family from Dordrecht
, at that time employed in the Russian army which waged war with Sweden
. In 1718 Jan the Witte (the Elder) was received into the army of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and took up residence in the town of Kamieniec in Podolia
possessing the famous fortress
. At that time he probably turned Catholic, he also married a local woman from a prominent noble
family.
His first son, Jan de Witte (the Younger), after completing schooling in Jesuits' college, joined the ranks of Polish royal artillery corps in February 1726, in which he later served until his death. Being promoted several times (captain in 1735, major in 1751, lieutenant-colonel in 1754, colonel of the artillery in 1762, major-general in 1767), he finally became lieutenant general in 1781, from 1768 being also appointed as the commander of the mentioned Kamieniec fortress and other minor frontier forts in Podolia simultaneously. In 1735 he married Marianna Lubońska who bore him numerous offspring. His career's supporter and promoter was a powerful Polish noble, Grand Crown Hetman Wacław Rzewuski. In his later years he also attracted attention of king Stanisław August Poniatowski, who, in an act of recognition of his loyal duty, highly rated knowledge and works, awarded him with the Order of St. Stanislaus
in 1781. It was Rzewuski who pronounced a recognition of de Witte family's indygenat
(the recognition of foreign status as a noble) in 1764, four years later positively approved by the Polish Sejm
. Jan de Witte was considered as an authority not only in the art of war, but also in questions concerning the Near East
, as he was one of the best-informed specialists in Polish-Turkish
affairs. For example, he kept a wide correspondence with the Turkish pashas
from Ottoman
frontier forts along the Commonwealth's south-eastern border. As a military man he enjoyed a reputation of a rational, but also exceptionally demanding and severe officer, especially among those under his command, which resulted in incapability of gaining affection among his subordinates and goodwill among the military command (for instance, his abilities were often questioned by Alojzy von Brühl
, chief general of Polish royal artillery corps). During the course of his military career he managed to amass a small fortune, including the rural estate at Sawiń. De Witte was a passionate collector of coins and medallions, also a great book-lover.
Jan de Witte died on 22nd December 1785, and two days later his remains were interred in the cathedral church of Kamieniec, after a grandiose military funeral solemnity.
Possibly de Witte's first work was the design for the upper church of Barefooted Carmelites
monastery in Berdychiv, beginning in 1737 (there exists preserved self-drawn sketches of the church's facade from 1743).
His main works are to be found in Lviv
. In 1740s he probably authored the Rococo
redesigning of a town house (no. 2) at the city's old town market square
. In 1744 the Dominican brothers
of Lwów made up decision to have their old, Gothic temple temple demolished, due to its very bad constructional condition, and entrusted de Witte with drawing up plans for the new edifice. The construction works soon started and this very costly architectural investment was ready in its basic form by the year 1759. Subsequently the interior works begun and the church was eventually consecrated on 29th June 1764. The Dominican church
, resembling to some point and probably also inspired by the works of Fischer von Erlach
and Guarini, has a characteristic late Baroque form of a centrally-placed longitudinal oval construction, crowned with an elliptic dome. Until our times it is still a one of crucial landmarks of the city's skyline.
The other de Witte's work placed in Lviv is the palace of Lubomirski family
, situated on the Market Square. The rebuilding of previous two merchant town houses into a splendorous Rococo residence, on the request of Stanisław Lubomirski, was commenced in 1763 and lasted until 1767. De Witte also had drawn the designs for another palace of Lubomirski, placed in the Volhynian
town of Równe (nowadays Rivne
, Ukraine), which was remodeled according to de Witte's project in the years 1765-1770 (the palace was destroyed in 1945).
In his architectural career, De Witte tended to favor above all drawing the designs, as he didn't engage to much in the actual building process which he preferred to leave in the hands of professional building masters and visited the building sites infrequently, restraining himself to offer necessary directions and detailed drawings only.
Stationed at Kamieniec Podolski as an officer of the Corps of Artillery, he also worked on reconstruction and expansion of the old fortress. Among his projects there are the new barracks and the commandants' residence, dubbed de Witte's Garden.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
military engineer, professional officer and architect of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
descent. The author of, among others, the Dominican church
Dominican Church, Lviv
The Dominican church and monastery in Lviv, Ukraine is located in the city's Old Town, east of the market square. It was originally built as the Roman Catholic church of Corpus Christi, and today serves as the Greek Catholic church of the Holy Eucharist....
in Lwów (modern Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) and the Carmelite monastery in Berdyczów (modern Berdychiv
Berdychiv
Berdychiv is a historic city in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Berdychiv Raion , the city itself is of direct oblast subordinance, and is located south of the oblast capital, Zhytomyr, at around .The current estimated population is around...
, Ukraine), he was also the military commandant of the fortress at Kamieniec Podolski (modern Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamienets-Podolsky is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi...
, Ukraine).
Personal life
Jan de Witte was born in the RussianRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
army encampment near Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
on 8th July 1709, as a son of Jan de Witte (the Elder), professional officer coming from a Dutch Protestant family from Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
, at that time employed in the Russian army which waged war with Sweden
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. In 1718 Jan the Witte (the Elder) was received into the army of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and took up residence in the town of Kamieniec in Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
possessing the famous fortress
Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle
Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle is a former Ruthenian-Lithuanian castle located in the historic city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast , in the historic region of Podolia in western Ukraine...
. At that time he probably turned Catholic, he also married a local woman from a prominent noble
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
family.
His first son, Jan de Witte (the Younger), after completing schooling in Jesuits' college, joined the ranks of Polish royal artillery corps in February 1726, in which he later served until his death. Being promoted several times (captain in 1735, major in 1751, lieutenant-colonel in 1754, colonel of the artillery in 1762, major-general in 1767), he finally became lieutenant general in 1781, from 1768 being also appointed as the commander of the mentioned Kamieniec fortress and other minor frontier forts in Podolia simultaneously. In 1735 he married Marianna Lubońska who bore him numerous offspring. His career's supporter and promoter was a powerful Polish noble, Grand Crown Hetman Wacław Rzewuski. In his later years he also attracted attention of king Stanisław August Poniatowski, who, in an act of recognition of his loyal duty, highly rated knowledge and works, awarded him with the Order of St. Stanislaus
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus , also spelled Stanislas, was an Order in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire from 1831 to 1917.-History of the Order of Saint Stanislaus:Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the...
in 1781. It was Rzewuski who pronounced a recognition of de Witte family's indygenat
Indygenat
Indygenat in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a recognition of foreign status as a noble. A foreign noble, after indygenat, received all privileges of a Polish szlachcic. In Polish history, 413 foreign noble families were recognized...
(the recognition of foreign status as a noble) in 1764, four years later positively approved by the Polish Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
. Jan de Witte was considered as an authority not only in the art of war, but also in questions concerning the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
, as he was one of the best-informed specialists in Polish-Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
affairs. For example, he kept a wide correspondence with the Turkish pashas
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
from Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
frontier forts along the Commonwealth's south-eastern border. As a military man he enjoyed a reputation of a rational, but also exceptionally demanding and severe officer, especially among those under his command, which resulted in incapability of gaining affection among his subordinates and goodwill among the military command (for instance, his abilities were often questioned by Alojzy von Brühl
Alois Friedrich von Brühl
Alois Friedrich von Brühl was a Polish-Saxon diplomat, politician, Freemason, soldier, actor and playwright.-Biography:He was the eldest son of minister Heinrich von Brühl, one of the advisors to King August II of Poland...
, chief general of Polish royal artillery corps). During the course of his military career he managed to amass a small fortune, including the rural estate at Sawiń. De Witte was a passionate collector of coins and medallions, also a great book-lover.
Jan de Witte died on 22nd December 1785, and two days later his remains were interred in the cathedral church of Kamieniec, after a grandiose military funeral solemnity.
Works
Todays, Jan de Witte is primarily known as a designer of numerous architectural works in the contemporary Western Ukraine, which in the 18th century constituted a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.Possibly de Witte's first work was the design for the upper church of Barefooted Carmelites
Discalced Carmelites
The Discalced Carmelites, or Barefoot Carmelites, is a Catholic mendicant order with roots in the eremitic tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers...
monastery in Berdychiv, beginning in 1737 (there exists preserved self-drawn sketches of the church's facade from 1743).
His main works are to be found in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
. In 1740s he probably authored the Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
redesigning of a town house (no. 2) at the city's old town market square
Market Square (Lviv)
The Rynok Square in Lviv is a central square of the city of Lviv, Ukraine. It was planned in the second half of the 14th century, following granting city rights by Polish king Casimir III, who annexed Red Ruthenia...
. In 1744 the Dominican brothers
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
of Lwów made up decision to have their old, Gothic temple temple demolished, due to its very bad constructional condition, and entrusted de Witte with drawing up plans for the new edifice. The construction works soon started and this very costly architectural investment was ready in its basic form by the year 1759. Subsequently the interior works begun and the church was eventually consecrated on 29th June 1764. The Dominican church
Dominican Church, Lviv
The Dominican church and monastery in Lviv, Ukraine is located in the city's Old Town, east of the market square. It was originally built as the Roman Catholic church of Corpus Christi, and today serves as the Greek Catholic church of the Holy Eucharist....
, resembling to some point and probably also inspired by the works of Fischer von Erlach
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
----Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, born Johann Bernhard Fischer was probably the most influential Austrian architect of the Baroque period....
and Guarini, has a characteristic late Baroque form of a centrally-placed longitudinal oval construction, crowned with an elliptic dome. Until our times it is still a one of crucial landmarks of the city's skyline.
Lubomirski Palace, Lviv
The Lviv palace of Prince Stanisław Lubomirski was built in the 1760s to Jan de Witte's design on the site of several older houses . The palace's main façade, featuring decoration by Sebastian Vessinger, is on the Market Square...
, situated on the Market Square. The rebuilding of previous two merchant town houses into a splendorous Rococo residence, on the request of Stanisław Lubomirski, was commenced in 1763 and lasted until 1767. De Witte also had drawn the designs for another palace of Lubomirski, placed in the Volhynian
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
town of Równe (nowadays Rivne
Rivne
Rivne or Rovno is a historic city in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Rivne Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivne Raion within the oblast...
, Ukraine), which was remodeled according to de Witte's project in the years 1765-1770 (the palace was destroyed in 1945).
In his architectural career, De Witte tended to favor above all drawing the designs, as he didn't engage to much in the actual building process which he preferred to leave in the hands of professional building masters and visited the building sites infrequently, restraining himself to offer necessary directions and detailed drawings only.
Stationed at Kamieniec Podolski as an officer of the Corps of Artillery, he also worked on reconstruction and expansion of the old fortress. Among his projects there are the new barracks and the commandants' residence, dubbed de Witte's Garden.