The directory «Plots»

Šatrijos Ragana
(1877–1930)

Šatrijos Ragana is a romanticist writer of the beginning of Lithuanian national renaissance and independence, a pedagogue and cultivator of a Christian personality.
Marija Pečkauskaitė, known under pseudonym of Šatrijos Ragana, was born on February 24, 1878, in Medingėnai estate, Telšiai district, to a family of a nobleman affected by the Polish culture. The noble relations between her parents made a favourable impact on the formation of Marija's personality. She began to learn at home, and since 1891, when the family moved to the Užventis estate, her teacher was P.Višinskis. In 1892 she entered the third class of St.Peterburg gymnasium of St.Catherine. Because of a frail health and the lack of funds, she finished the gymnasium course privately in Užventis. In addition, in 1895 she finished the apiculture courses in Varduva. In Užventis, P.Višinskis impacted Marija's national self-determination and encouraged her to join the national movement and literature work. At the beginning she wrote in Polish language. P.Višinskis translated her works and published them in periodicals Varpas (The Bell), Ūkininkas (The Farmer) under pseudonym of Šatrijos Ragana. Later M.Pečkauskaitė began to write in Lithuanian herself and publish her works in various newspapers and magazines.
After the death of father in 1898, the family moved to Šiauliai. M.Pečkauskaitė gave lessons in the families of noblemen. In 1905, by the efforts of P.Višinskis and other Lithuanian educators, M.Pečkauskaitė received the subsidy from "Motinėlė" (The Good Mother) society and went to Switzerland to study pedagogy. In 1905-1907 she studied in Zürich and at Freiburg University. She was greatly influenced by a famous pedagogue Fr. W. Foerster. In 1909 M.Pečkauskaitė passed the teacher's examination and began to work at Marijampolė girls progymnasium "Žiburys" (The Light). By implementing pedagogy of Foerster, she turned the progymnasium into a modern educational institution. After beginning of the World War I, M.Pečkauskaitė came to Židikai (Mažeikiai district). When her health was shaken, she continued her pedagogical activities by writing articles to the periodicals Naujoji Vaidilutė (The New Vaidilutė), Moteris (The Woman), Lietuvos mokykla (School of Lithuania), Skaitymai (Readings), and by participating in activities of various societies and organizations. In 1922 she wrote her best work - a tale "In an Old Manor".
In 1928 for merits to the pedagogy of Lithuania she was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa degree of Lithuanian University.
M.Pečkauskaitė died on July 24, 1930, in Židikai.

Lithuania, 2002, Šatrijos Ragana