17 Facts About Maironis

Maironis was called the Bard of Lithuanian National Revival.

Maironis' parents were free peasants who maintained close relations with the polonized Lithuanian nobility.

Such a social environment formed the basis of Maironis' personality, leading to his deep religiosity and loyalty to tradition, free from atheistic or liberal influences.

Socially, Maironis was uninvolved in the tensions between nobles and peasants, the rich and the poor, and did not become a representative of either side.

Maironis was raised with a firm grounding in Lithuanian rural culture and was open to influence of any culture provided that it did not contradict Maironis' love for his land, his people, its past and traditions.

Maironis left the university after the lectures did not satisfy his hopes and the students' stances towards religion were strange to him, so, Maironis returned to Kaunas in 1884 and entered Kaunas Priest Seminary.

Around 1900, Maironis was one of the founders of the Lithuanian Language Rights' Restoration Union.

In 1905, Maironis was a member of the Commission formed by the Minister of Education of the Russian Empire to prepare a Lithuanian language program for Lithuanian schools.

From 1908, Maironis was member of the Lithuanian Scientific Society in Vilnius.

Outside of the seminary, Maironis was important to show that Lithuanians had their own intellectual high ecclesiastical figures, as Maironis was Mogilev's honorary canon since 1902 and later the prelate of the Samogitian Capitula from 1912.

Maironis was rejoicing at the re-establishment of Lithuanian independence, but he was disappointed with certain social ills he witnessed with the rebellious wave following independence.

Maironis disapproved of the Interwar Land reform in Lithuania as it was contrary to his social conservativism.

In 1922, Maironis was elected the Professor of Moral Theology in the Faculty of Theology-Philosophy of the newly-founded University of Lithuania.

Later that year, Maironis was elected the honorary professor of the University of Lithuania on 15 December 1922.

Maironis's works include: poems Lietuva, Tarp skausmu i garbe, Znad Biruty, Jaunoji Lietuva, Raseiniu Magde, Musu vargai, three historical dramas: Kestucio mirtis, Vytautas pas kryziuocius, Didysis Vytautas - Karalius, as well as works from the fields of theology, history, sociology, literature and journalistic texts.

Znad Biruty is the only surviving work by Maironis written in Polish.

Maironis was buried in a tomb monument constructed outside the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica.