Szymon Okolski, also known as Simon Okolski, was a well-known Polish–Lithuanianhistorian, theologian, and specialist in heraldry. His own clan and coat of arms were that of Rawicz. He was born in Kamieniec Podolski, died in Lviv. He headed chairs of theology in Lviv and Bologna. A member of the Dominican Order, in 1641 he became a superior of the Dominican monastery in Kamieniec Podolski. In 1648 Okolski accepted the post of the prowincjał of the Dominican Order in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth-controlled Ruś territories. The center of the province was located in Lwow. In 1637-38 Okolski accompanied Crown hetmanMikołaj Potocki during his neutralization of rebellious Cossacks driven by Jakub Ostrzanin and Dmytro Hunia. Being a witness and a direct participant of those developments, Okolski gave a detailed description of them in his field diaries. The latter were published immediately and became a valuablesource of information for historians and writers: for instance, Nikolai Gogol must have used these materials for his "Taras Bulba" - a novel devoted to the Cossack rebellions 1637-38. Okolski was an author of historical and heraldic books among which an armorial encyclopedia of the Polish nobilityOrbis Polonus in three volumes is the most famous. Languages of his works are Polish and Latin.
Published works
Orbis Polonus splendoribus coeli, triumphis mundi, pulchritudine animantium condecoratus, in quo antiqua Sarmatorum gentiliata pervetusta nobilitatis insignia etc. specificantur et relucent - armorial encyclopedia of the Polish nobility;
, - field diary concerning the 1637 Cossack rebellion;
Kontynuacya dyaryusza wojennego etc. - continuation of Okolski's field notes of the Cossacks neutralization. In 1738 both diaries were translated to Russian by Stephan Lukomski, a historian;
Russia Florida etc. – history of the Dominican Order in Russia, with general data on population, regions, Russian monasteries, etc.;
Kioviensium et Czernichoviensium episcoporum etc. ordo et numeris descriptus ;
Żywoty niektórych św. zakonnic dominikanek.
There are also some Okolski's unpublished manuscripts kept in the Dominican monastery in Lviv.
