From Village to Paris: 5 Inspiring Stories of Belarusian Women You’ll Be Proud Of

From Village to Paris: 5 Inspiring Stories of Belarusian Women You’ll Be Proud Of

Nadezhda Khodasevich-Leger escaped from her village in the Vitebsk region to Paris to become an artist and later founded a museum in France. Vera Gedroits was a Belarusian on her father’s side and became one of the world’s first female surgeons, performing rare operations. Sofia Fedorovich, a Minsk native, was one of the founders of British ballet. We are well aware of outstanding women from other countries. However, we know little about Belarusian women who have inscribed their names not only in our history but also in world history. Perhaps it’s time to change that.

Franciszka Urszula Radziwill: Turning Nesvizh into a Cultural Hub

Franciszka Urszula Radziwill was a writer and the first female dramatist in our lands. She was the daughter of Prince Janusz-Anton Wisniowiecki and Teofila Leszczynska. She received an excellent education, spoke several foreign languages, was well-versed in world literature, and wrote poetry herself.

Franciszka married Michał Kazimierz Radziwill “Rybonką”, and their union was filled with happiness. She also excelled in her creative endeavors. In 1740, she opened the Nesvizh Radziwill Theater, where plays written or translated by her were performed. Her good taste, understanding of art, and literary talent allowed Franciszka to make Nesvizh the cultural center of the country. She authored about 80 poems and 16 plays in Polish and French.

Helena Skirmunt: A Prominent Sculptor from Pinsk

Helena Skirmunt was a talented artist and sculptor. She was born in 1827 in Pinsk, in the family estate of Kolodno, which belonged to the ancient noble Skirmunt family. Her mother was the sister of Napoleon Orda, a musician and artist whose name we have also recently discovered.

Helena was a beloved child in the family. Her artistic abilities manifested when she was four years old. However, her happiness was marred by an eye disease that she had from birth and which haunted her throughout her life.

Helena studied painting with the famous Vilnius landscape painter Vincent Dmokhovsky. She traveled around Europe, where she also found teachers. Later, she became captivated by sculpture. It is worth noting that in those days, the phrase “woman sculptor” sounded daring. Helena began sculpting nonetheless. One of her most famous works is a chess set in which historical figures serve as pieces.

Perhaps Helena Skirmunt’s talent would have found even more embodiments if she had lived in a different time. However, in 1863, a revolt began in which the artist and her husband took part. They faced endless exiles: first to Tambov and Kostroma, then to Crimea. In the latter, Helena fell seriously ill and passed away at the age of 46.

Her remains were brought back to her homeland in Pinsk, and her grave has survived to this day. After the artist’s death in 1876, the art critic Bronisław Zaleski published her diary under the title “From the Life of a Lithuanian Woman”. Not long ago, this book was reprinted. Now, one can get acquainted with this strong and talented woman directly through her memoirs.

Vera Gedroits: One of the First Female Surgeons

Vera Gedroits was a brilliant surgeon and one of the first women in the world to earn the title of Professor of Surgery. She never visited the homeland of her ancestors but always knew that she belonged to the ancient and noble Lithuanian princely Gedroits family.

Her father, Ignatius Gedroits, was stripped of his noble title for participating in the 1863 revolt and was forced to flee to the Samara and then to the Oryol province, where Vera was born.

Vera decided to become a doctor after suffering from illnesses and the death of loved ones, particularly the loss of her brother Sergei. She first studied at medical courses in St. Petersburg and then went to Switzerland for higher education, as women were not allowed to study at universities in Russia at that time.

The world started talking about the first female surgeon in Russia during the Russo-Japanese War. She performed operations that male surgeons dared not attempt.

In 1907, Vera officially regained her princely surname and title. Newspapers wrote a lot about this woman, and her fame reached Nicholas II. She was invited to head the Tsarskoye Selo hospital and become the home doctor for the emperor’s children.

Vera spent World War I in hospitals but was wounded and evacuated to Kiev, where she lived until the end of her days. In the post-war years, Vera worked in a children’s hospital, in the surgical clinic of the Kiev Medical Institute, and published numerous articles in scientific journals. She even released three novellas based on her autobiography.

Sofia Fedorovich: Founder of British Ballet

Sofia Fedorovich was born in Minsk into a doctor’s family. However, in 1920, she left her hometown with her parents, fleeing war and revolution. Thus, she found herself in London. It was in England that Sofia had the opportunity to showcase her talent as a gifted scenographer and painter.

Her creative biography includes the design of 25 ballets, 4 operas, and 2 plays, as well as collaborations with choreographers such as Michael Somes and Frederick Ashton, and the renowned director Peter Brook. She created productions at the Royal Opera and Ballet Theatre in Covent Garden.

Sofia Fedorovich is considered one of those who laid the foundation for the development of modern British ballet. Besides theater, she was also passionate about painting. She created portraits and still lifes and exhibited them at various exhibitions in London and Paris.

After the artist’s death in 1956, a memorial exhibition of her works was held in London, which traveled to Scotland and England. One can only hope that Sofia Fedorovich’s works will someday be exhibited in her homeland as well.

Nadezhda Khodasevich-Leger: A French Artist from a Belarusian Village

Nadezhda Khodasevich-Leger was a girl from the village of Osetishche (Vitebsk province) who proved that dreams come true if you make an effort to realize them. Nadezhda loved to draw and believed that one day she would create in Paris. Her parents, however, considered their daughter’s hobby a waste of time and even invited a healer to drive out the demons.

Nadezhda escaped to Smolensk, then to Warsaw, where she got married, and with her husband, she moved to Paris. In the city of her dreams, she faced divorce, work as a maid, and poverty. But the artist brilliantly withstood all the trials.

Her talent was noticed by Fernand Léger (a French painter and sculptor, a master of decorative art), and she became his student.

During World War II, Nadezhda Khodasevich taught at the academy during the day and pasted leaflets around the city at night—she was an active participant in the French Resistance. Her teacher went to America but returned to Paris after the war. Soon, he became a widower, and his new wife was Nadezhda. Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived. Soon, the maestro passed away, bequeathing all his creations to his beloved wife.

Nadezhda Khodasevich was very afraid that the paintings would be scattered among collectors. In 1960, in the town of Biot, she opened a museum and ensured that the legacy of Fernand Léger was preserved for future generations.