Thomas Zebrowski was a Jesuit architect, mathematician, and astronomer

Astronomer

An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...

. He was instrumental in establishing and funding the Observatory of Vilnius University

Vilnius University

Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....

. Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt was among his students.

Zebrowski studied philosophy and theology at Vilnius University. He briefly taught at Jesuit schools in Kražiai

Kražiai

Kražiai is a town in Lithuania, located in the Kelmė district municipality, between Varniai and Raseiniai , on the Kražantė river. The old town of Kražiai is an archeological and urban monument....

, Ilūkste

Ilukste

- History :Ilūkste was first mentioned in 1559, part of the estate lands of Count Kasper Zibergs.By 1795, thanks to its strategic location at the crossroads of Lithuania, Belarus and Daugavpils, Ilūkste became an important trade city and regional center, with 50 churches, 15 schools, and 150 taverns...

, and Babruysk

Babruysk

Babruysk or Bobruysk is a city in the Mahilyow Voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. It is a large city in Belarus with a population of approximately 227,000 people . The name Babruysk probably originates from the Belarusian word babyor , many of which used to inhabit the Berezina...

 and prepared construction projects for churches in these towns. They displayed features of Baroque

Baroque architecture

Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...

 churches in Vilnius. He also designed the Jesuit school in Zhodishki (Жодишки in Belarus), houses for nobles, and other buildings. Though documentary evidence is lacking, it is suspected that Zebrowski was also involved in construction of churches in Minsk

Minsk

- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...

 and Płock, Oginski residence in Ručyca (Hanuta) village.

After studying at Charles University in Prague

Charles University in Prague

Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...

 under Joseph Stepling in 1750–1752, Zebrowski returned to Vilnius, becoming a popular lecturer of physics and astronomy at Vilnius University. He was also interested in geodesy

Geodesy

Geodesy , also named geodetics, a branch of earth sciences, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal...

, horology

Horology

Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...

, mineralogy

Mineralogy

Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...

, geography. However, his major passion was astronomy and he pursued funding for an observatory. The construction was funded by Elżbieta Ogińska-Puzynina, while Mikolaj Radziwill and bishop Józef Sapieha donated 13.5 centimetres (5.3 in) and 10 centimetres (3.9 in) diameter reflector telescopes manufactured in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. Zebrowski designed the observatory; its construction began in 1753.