Pac (family)

Pac ( _lt. Pacas) was a Lithuanian noble family of ethnic Lithuanian origin. The time of their prosperity was the second half of the 17th century before being overwhelmed by Sapiehas. Their coat of arms was Gozdawa.

Family's ancestor Kimantas was mentioned in the privilege of 1388 issued by Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great as "Kymunt". The estate of the family in proximity of Grodno was mentioned in the road description, charted by the Teutonic Knights, as "Kymundsdorf". Kimantas and his son Daukša were among the signatories of the Union of Vilnius and Radom of 1401. Daukša's son Pac is considered the first member of the family; his ancestors took his first name as their family name, starting from his son Jerzy Pac (d. 1505/6).The members of Pac family were notorious for their anti-Sarmatian and anti-Polish views. Their lands were concentrated in the southern Lithuania propria, around the county of Jieznas. The family became notorious for the Baroque architecture monuments in Lithuania; the most significant masterpieces, St Peter and St Paul's Church in Vilnius and the Monastery of Pažaislis, were commissioned by the family members.

Notable family members

*Jerzy Pac (d. c. 1505), the first bearer of the family name
*Stefan Pac (c.1587-1640), Grand Treasurer and Deputy Chancellor of Lithuania
*Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac (1621–1684), Grand Chancellor of Lithuania
*Michał Kazimierz Pac (1624–1682), Grand Hetman of Lithuania
* Ludwik Michał Pac (1778–1835), general of the Napoleonic La Grande Armée

ee also

* Lithuanian nobility