St. Stanislaus of Krakow
SStanislaus Szczepanowsky
Also known as Stanislaus of Cracow
Feast day: April 11
Patron: of Poland, Krakow, moral order
Born at Szczepanow, Poland, on July 26, 1030;
Died at Cracow, Poland, on April 11, 1079
Canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1253, Assisi, Italy
feast day formerly on May 7.
Stanislaus was born to noble parents who had been childless and prayed for a child. They raised him religiously, encouraging him in his devotion to God. He was educated at Gnesen and Paris, and was ordained a priest by Bishop Lampert Zula of Cracow. He was given a canonry in the cathedral and was later appointed preacher and archdeacon by the bishop.
His expressive preaching and good example brought about a spiritual revival among his congregation, and he was sought out by clergy and laymen for his spiritual advice. He was generous to the poor and was successful in bringing about religious reforms. The bishop wished to resign his office to Stanislaus, but Stanislaus convinced him not to. When the bishop died, however, Stanislaus was chosen to succeed him; after Pope Alexander II endorsed the choice, he was consecrated in 1072. He was a tireless preacher, zealous reformer, and generous benefactor to the poor.
Now the story becomes a little confused. Stanislaus is greatly venerated in Poland as a martyr, but there is much uncertainty about the events which led to his violent death.
At that time Poland was governed by Boleslaus II--"King Boleslav the Cruel"--whose virtues were eclipsed by his unbridled lust and savage cruelty. The story commonly told is that Stanislaus chastised King Boleslaus for his disordered private behavior. At first the king did what many of us do--he tried to justify his actions, but the saint pressed the ruler until he was temporarily brought to repentance. But his good intentions did not last long, and he had the beautiful wife of one of his noblemen kidnapped and taken to his palace. Stanislaus was the only one of the clergy or offended nobility brave enough to confront Boleslaus, whom he reprimanded for his action. Finding this to be in vain, he excommunicated the king, and the king feigned nonchalance.
When Boleslaus entered the cathedral of Cracow, Stanislaus halted the services. Enraged, Boleslaus followed him to the chapel of Saint Michael outside the city and ordered his guards to kill him. The men returned and said that they could not kill him because he was surrounded by a divine light. Upbraiding his men for their cowardice, the king himself entered the chapel and killed Stanislaus as he was celebrating the Mass. The guards cut the body up and scattered it to be eaten by wild animals. Three days later his remains were collected by cathedral canons and buried at the door of the chapel.
It is probable that the murder was motivated by politics--some historians hold that Stanislaus was conspiring to dethrone Boleslaus--but the available evidence is variously interpreted by historians. Boleslaus's action, however, did speed his fall from power. Pope Saint Gregory VII placed Poland under an interdict and Boleslaus fled the country, dying as a fugitive in Hungary
SStanislaus Szczepanowsky
Also known as Stanislaus of Cracow
Feast day: April 11
Patron: of Poland, Krakow, moral order
Born at Szczepanow, Poland, on July 26, 1030;
Died at Cracow, Poland, on April 11, 1079
Canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1253, Assisi, Italy
feast day formerly on May 7.
Stanislaus was born to noble parents who had been childless and prayed for a child. They raised him religiously, encouraging him in his devotion to God. He was educated at Gnesen and Paris, and was ordained a priest by Bishop Lampert Zula of Cracow. He was given a canonry in the cathedral and was later appointed preacher and archdeacon by the bishop.
His expressive preaching and good example brought about a spiritual revival among his congregation, and he was sought out by clergy and laymen for his spiritual advice. He was generous to the poor and was successful in bringing about religious reforms. The bishop wished to resign his office to Stanislaus, but Stanislaus convinced him not to. When the bishop died, however, Stanislaus was chosen to succeed him; after Pope Alexander II endorsed the choice, he was consecrated in 1072. He was a tireless preacher, zealous reformer, and generous benefactor to the poor.
Now the story becomes a little confused. Stanislaus is greatly venerated in Poland as a martyr, but there is much uncertainty about the events which led to his violent death.
At that time Poland was governed by Boleslaus II--"King Boleslav the Cruel"--whose virtues were eclipsed by his unbridled lust and savage cruelty. The story commonly told is that Stanislaus chastised King Boleslaus for his disordered private behavior. At first the king did what many of us do--he tried to justify his actions, but the saint pressed the ruler until he was temporarily brought to repentance. But his good intentions did not last long, and he had the beautiful wife of one of his noblemen kidnapped and taken to his palace. Stanislaus was the only one of the clergy or offended nobility brave enough to confront Boleslaus, whom he reprimanded for his action. Finding this to be in vain, he excommunicated the king, and the king feigned nonchalance.
When Boleslaus entered the cathedral of Cracow, Stanislaus halted the services. Enraged, Boleslaus followed him to the chapel of Saint Michael outside the city and ordered his guards to kill him. The men returned and said that they could not kill him because he was surrounded by a divine light. Upbraiding his men for their cowardice, the king himself entered the chapel and killed Stanislaus as he was celebrating the Mass. The guards cut the body up and scattered it to be eaten by wild animals. Three days later his remains were collected by cathedral canons and buried at the door of the chapel.
It is probable that the murder was motivated by politics--some historians hold that Stanislaus was conspiring to dethrone Boleslaus--but the available evidence is variously interpreted by historians. Boleslaus's action, however, did speed his fall from power. Pope Saint Gregory VII placed Poland under an interdict and Boleslaus fled the country, dying as a fugitive in Hungary
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