EN
The article deals with the treatise Coltura degli’Ingegni by Italian Jesuit Antonio Possevino (1533– 1611), the Latin original of which was part of Possevino’s work Bibliotheca selecta (1593). In addition to studying the actual text, attention is also paid to factors that contributed to its creation. These include especially the educational tradition within the Society of Jesus and Possevino’s life story – Possevino held many different offices, inter alia that of a secretary of the Order and of a papal diplomat. He came into touch with a Scandinavian environment during these diplomatic missions, which subsequently led to the establishment of Collegium Nordicum in Olomouc. As follows from the study of Possevino’s life and work, this Jesuit understood education primarily as a tool for spreading and deepening of the Catholic faith. At the same time, Possevino emphasized the importance of human freedom which he defended against the contemporary, more deterministic concepts.