Bishop of Kraków in the 11th century, Stanislaus firmly opposed the dissolute morals and tyranny of King Bolesław II. After resurrecting a dead witness to prove his innocence during a slanderous trial, he was assassinated by the king himself at the foot of the altar. His martyrdom led to the exile of the sovereign and made him the patron saint of Poland.
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SAINT STANISLAUS, BISHOP OF KRAKÓW, MARTYR
Origins and formation
Stanislaus was born in 1030 in Poland to noble and pious parents; he studied in Gniezno and then in Paris before returning to serve the Church in his country.
This holy bisho Ce saint évêque Bishop of Kraków and martyr, patron saint of Poland. p was born in Szczepanów, a small town in Poland, only two leagues from the city of Bochnia and seven from the city of Kraków, the capital of the kingdom. His father, named Wielisław, was one of the principal lords of the country and had acquired much reputation in arms; and his mother, named Bogna, was also from a very illustrious house. But their virtue and rare piety raised them even above their birth. They were the refuge of the poor, the protectors of widows, the parents of orphans, and exercised with joy, toward strangers, the virtue of hospitality. But as much as they were gentle and charitable toward others, they were equally severe toward themselves, practicing fasts, vigils, and other austerities to purify their souls and adorn them with all the Christian virtues that their station could demand. Their zeal even led them to build, by mutual agreement, on one of their lands, a beautiful church; they dedicated it to Saint Mary Magdalene, for whom they had a particular devotion. They gave it many revenues and a quantity of ornaments and vessels of gold and silver; they went there day and night to offer their prayers.
Only one thing was missing from their happiness: after thirty years of marriage, they had no children and could no longer humanly conceive the hope of having any. But as they placed all their hope in God, and prayed to Him with fervor to give them a son, not to perpetuate their name and their illustrious race, but to be consecrated to the service of the altars, their vows were answered. This gift from heaven was born on July 26, 1030. He was baptized in the church of Saint Magdalene and named Stanislaus. The lessons and virtues of such enlightened and virtuous parents taugh t piety t Stanislas Bishop of Kraków and martyr, patron saint of Poland. o young Stanislaus at an early age. At an age when one usually has a taste only for amusements, he loved prayer and mortification. He maintained the most exact sobriety in his meals. It often happened that he would sleep on the bare ground, voluntarily suffering the cold and several other inconveniences. He allowed himself only as much recreation as was necessary not to impair his health. He distributed to the poor the money he received from his parents for legitimate pleasures. When he had successfully completed his initial studies, he was sent first to Gniezno, which was then the most famous university in Poland, and then to Paris, where he applied himself for seven years to the science of canon law and theology. Although he was a fo Paris Place of birth, ministry, and death of the saint. reigner in that city, he did not fail to make himself esteemed and loved by everyone for the beauty of his mind and a certain air of wisdom and honesty that shone through in all his actions. They wanted to make him a doctor, but he refused out of humility.
Ministry and Episcopal Elevation
Ordained a priest in Krakow, he distinguished himself by his austerity and eloquence before being appointed bishop in 1072 by order of Pope Alexander II.
Upon returning to Poland, and having become, through the death of his parents, the possessor of a considerable fortune, Stanislaus disposed of all he had in favor of the poor, in order to serve God with greater freedom. The Bishop of Krakow, Lampert Zula, who knew the capacity and virtue of our Saint, ordained him a priest and made him a canon of his cathedral. Stanislaus was the model of the Chapter: he afflicted his body with abstinence, read and meditated continually on the Holy Scriptures, kept many vigils, and was assiduous in the divine offices. Charged with the care of announcing the word of God, he fulfilled it with admirable success. His reputation became so great that many ecclesiastics and laypeople came to him from all the provinces of Poland to propose their doubts and consult him on matters regarding their conscience.
Who would not have been delighted by his answers? They were dictated by faith, prudence, erudition, sincerity, and the most tender charity. After the death of Lampert, the desire of the venerable deceased, and the united wishes of the king, the clergy, and the people, called Stanislaus to succeed him: he refused energetically; but he had to obey the formal order pape Alexandre II Pope whose election was supported by Peter Damian against the antipope. s of Pope Alexander II. He was consecrated in 1072. Obliged to fulfill the functions of the Apostles, he strove to practice all their virtues. He donned a hair shirt which he wore always until his death, in order to fortify his spirit by mortifying his flesh. He never refused his counsel and assistance to anyone, and his pleasure was to do good to all those who addressed him, to win them for Jesus Christ. His house became the refuge of the poor: he had an exact list made of widows and all those who were in need, in order to assist them. Every year, he visited his diocese and brought a prompt remedy to disorders. He required above all that priests lead an edifying life, pleasing to God, to serve as models for others and to offer, with pure hands, the sacrifice of our reconciliation. He applied himself to saying nothing that was not grave, serious, and worthy of a Pontiff of Jesus Christ.
He had no difficulty in forgetting insults, and lived with everyone with the gentleness and kindness of a father. He had no predilection except for the weak and the abandoned: he protected, with invincible firmness, the oppressed, and this was the origin of the persecutions that led him to win the palm of martyrdom.
Opposition to King Bolesław II
The bishop firmly opposed the dissolute morals and tyranny of King Bolesław II, particularly following the abduction of the noblewoman Christine.
Poland at that time had Bolesław II as its Boleslas II King of Poland, assassin of Saint Stanislaus. king. This prince had shown valor in the war against the Russians; but he plunged into all the excesses of debauchery and tyranny, to the point that he was called Bolesław the Cruel. Abduction and rape were the daily crimes of a sovereign who was supposed to uphold the laws and morality in his kingdom: he no longer even possessed that remnant of modesty that seeks darkness to hide crime.
No one dared to offer him the slightest remonstrance regarding his disorders. Stanisław, bolder than the others, did not fear to go and find him: he represented to him the enormity of his crimes and the dire consequences of his scandals. The prince first sought to excuse himself with vain reasons; keenly pressed by the Saint's just exhortations, he finally appeared to repent and promised to reform.
But these resolutions, if they were sincere, were not lasting. Bolesław continued his scandalous life. Thus, he had the wife of the lord Mieszko, named Christine, who was as remarkable for her virtue as for her beauty, forcibly abducted in the province of Sieradz. This immoral and tyrannical act made all the Polish nobility shudder with indignation. They begged the Archbishop of Gniezno, primate of the kingdom, and the bishops who were going to court, to speak strongly to the king; but these prayers were useless. The prelates said nothing so as not to displease their sovereign. The nobility took revenge on them by proclaiming everywhere that they were mercenary souls and that they had far less regard for the cause of God than for their fortune and their ambition. Stanisław alone dared a second time to take on the dangerous mission of confronting the king. After preparing himself with fervent prayers, he went, escorted by a few lords and some ecclesiastics, to find Bolesław: in a modest and respectful voice, he exhorted him to cease his disorders, and even told him, in closing, that if he did not reform, he would expose himself to the censures of the Church. This threat of excommunication threw the king into a great fury. He grossly insulted the courageous prelate and said to him: "When one knows how to speak so inappropriately to a king, one should be a swineherd and not a bishop."
The miracle of the resurrection of Peter
Unjustly accused of land usurpation, Stanislaus resurrects a man dead for three years to testify to the legality of his purchase.
Stanislaus, without allowing himself to be intimidated, renewed his requests, and as the king had reproached him for lacking respect for the royal majesty, he said to him these words, worthy of being meditated upon: "Do not establish any comparison between the royal dignity and the episcopal dignity; for in that case I would tell you that the former is to the latter what the moon is to the sun, or lead to gold." The king, not knowing how to respond to such wise and true words, withdrew abruptly without dismissing the bishop. The monarch resolved from then on to take revenge. As the conduct of the Bishop of Krakow was irreproachable, Boleslaus could not find the slightest pretext for his persecutions. He resorted to slander. Stanislaus had bought, from Pierre Nobleman resurrected by Stanislaus to testify during a trial. a lord named Peter, the land of Piotrawin, had paid the price in the presence of witnesses, and had given and united it to the church of Krakow. No formality had been missing from this sale. Nevertheless, Stanislaus had not demanded a receipt from the seller, having full confidence in the good faith of the witnesses before whom he had paid him. Peter was dead. The king brought in his nephews, exhorted them to reclaim this inheritance as property usurped by the bishop, and assured them that he would intimidate the witnesses so well that they would never dare to open their mouths or testify to the truth. These heirs followed the instructions of Boleslaus, brought the lawsuit, and summoned the bishop before the king.
Our Saint appeared before a large assembly of judges over whom the king presided, as was the practice for certain cases. His adversaries complained that he had usurped their property, and he maintained, on the contrary, that he had bought and paid for it well. They denied it; then the Saint alleged witnesses: they were brought in; but they were so frightened by the threats that had been made to them that they did not have the courage to speak.
Stanislaus was about to be condemned as a usurper of another's property. Then, having raised his heart to God, he received a sudden inspiration: he asked his judges for a three-day delay, promising to bring in person Peter, his seller, who had been dead for three years. It was granted to him in mockery. The Saint fasted, kept vigil, prayed to Our Lord to defend his cause, and, on the third day, after having devoutly celebrated the Holy Mass, he went, dressed in his pontifical vestments, escorted by his clerics and many of the faithful, to the place where Peter was buried, had the tomb removed, the earth dug up, and, when the corpse was discovered, he touched it with his pastoral staff, ordering it to r ise in le mort Nobleman resurrected by Stanislaus to testify during a trial. the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The dead man immediately obeyed the voice of the Saint, rose, and followed him: Stanislaus led him to the tribunal where the king, his court, and an immense crowd were in eager expectation; he said: "Here is Peter, who sold me his land of Piotrawin: he is resurrected to bear witness before you! Ask him if it is not true that I paid him the price of this land. He is a known man, his tomb is open, God has just resurrected him to bear witness to the truth: his word is worth more than that of the witnesses." It is not possible to paint the astonishment of the king, the judges, the witnesses, and the plaintiffs. The resurrected man spoke in his turn, to declare that the bishop had paid him for his land before the two witnesses, who were betraying the truth; then, turning toward his nephews, he reproached them sharply for having pursued the holy bishop against all right and justice, and exhorted them to do penance for such a grave sin. Stanislaus offered Peter, if he still wished to live a few more years, to obtain it for him from Our Lord; but Peter replied that he was in purgatory and that, however, he preferred to return there immediately, and suffer its pains, than to expose himself to the danger of being lost in this earthly life. He only implored the holy bishop to pray to Our Lord that the pains of purgatory might be shortened in his favor, and that he might soon enter the abode of the Blessed. After that, Peter returned to his tomb accompanied by the bishop and a great multitude of people; he lay down in his grave, asking all those present to recommend him to God, and died a second time to live eternally. This miracle made a vivid impression on Boleslaus. He repressed his debaucheries and cruelties for some time. He even made a glorious expedition against the Russians and made himself master of Kiev, their capital; but there, in the midst of the intoxication of victory, he abandoned himself once again to his unbridled passions. Not content with his ordinary excesses, he went so far as to publicly commit the abominations of Sodom and Gomorrah. The fierce conqueror, to provide a diversion from his voluptuousness, sent the unfortunate vanquished by the hundreds to the scaffold, not only the men, but also pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Excommunication and martyrdom
After excommunicating the king, Stanislaus is murdered by Boleslaus himself during Mass; his body is miraculously protected and reconstituted.
Upon his return from this expedition, he treated his subjects in the most unworthy manner. Saint Stanislaus, like another John the Baptist, finally resolved to stop at any cost the unbridled license of this new Herod, devoting himself to martyrdom, if necessary, for the glory of God and the salvation of Poland. He asked God through fasts, tears, and prayers for the conversion of his king: he made several visits to him in which he neglected nothing to open his eyes and pull him from the abyss; but Boleslaus sank into it more and more. Similar to those frantic patients who look upon their doctors as enemies, he flew into a rage against the Saint, loaded him with insults, and even threatened him with death if he continued to censure his conduct.
The Bishop of Krakow, after these numerous warnings given to the culprit, seeing his impenitence and his scandals increase day by day, consulted other bishops, and, upon their advice and at the prayer of all good people, he publicly excommunicated Boleslaus and forbade him entry to the Church. Boleslaus nonetheless continued to attend public prayers: the bishop then ordered that the divine office would cease as soon as the excommunicated prince entered the church. Nevertheless, in order not to be disturbed by the presence of Boleslaus, the Saint went to celebrate the holy mysteries in a church of Saint Michael, outside the city. Boleslaus followed him there and ordered some of his guards to enter that church and massacre the bishop: they entered; but, when they wanted to lay hands on the Saint who was celebrating Mass, a celestial light terrified them and knocked them to the ground.
The king, mocking their cowardice, sent others: this prodigy was repeated three times; finally, Boleslaus came himself, naked sword i Boleslas King of Poland, assassin of Saint Stanislaus. n hand, and struck the head of the holy bishop with a blow so violent that it caused his brains to splatter against the wall; then, savoring his atrocious vengeance at his leisure, he mutilated the face of the holy Martyr, cutting off his nose and lips with his own hands. Then, by his order, this sacred body was dragged out of the church and torn into shreds, which were scattered in the fields to serve as prey for birds and wild beasts; but Our Lord sent four great eagles which defended the holy relics for two whole days; and at night, each shred of the Martyr's body shone with a celestial light. Some priests and pious people, emboldened by these wonders, dared, despite the king's prohibition, to collect these scattered limbs which, by a surprising miracle, were perfectly reunited. One would have said they had never been separated. One could not even see any scar. Perfumes emanated from them that perfumed the air in a delicious manner. The body of the holy Martyr was first buried at the door of the church of Saint Michael; ten years later it was transferred to Krakow, and buried in the middle of the fortress church with great magnificence. Pope Saint Gregory VII could not leave such a crime unpunished. He placed t he kingdom of Poland un pape saint Grégoire VII Pope during whose pontificate Saint Gausbert died. der interdict, anathematized Boleslaus, and declared him deposed from the kingship. This prince, pursued externally by the universal reprobation of his subjects, and internally by the thought of his crimes and especially the odious assassination he had committed, fled to Hungary. King Ladislaus welcomed him with kindness. Repentance had finally entered his soul: always pursued by the remorse of his conscience, he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome to implore the Pope's absolution. He set off, accompanied by only one servant, and dressed as a pilgrim. Arrived in Carinthia, before the door of the Benedictine convent of Ossiach, he stopped there to ask for alms. Then, inspired from above, he resolved to spend couvent des Bénédictins d'Ossiach Benedictine monastery where King Bolesław performed penance. the rest of his days in this holy asylum, leading a penitent life there. He was indeed admitted as a lay brother, and in this capacity, he rendered the most humble services to the monks, as a valet or servant would have done. Being little accustomed to this kind of work, he went about it rather clumsily, and, as no one in the convent knew his high origin, it sometimes happened that he was treated harshly by the monks or the other servants of the house. Boleslaus suffered everything in a spirit of penance, with unalterable patience; he even pushed resignation and humility to the point of observing perpetual silence, as if he had been mute. The old chronicler says naively on this subject: "It is thus that he was before God greater in the kitchen than he had been on the throne." He lived like this for seven years, when finally it pleased God to put an end to his pains and his penance. Only then, on his deathbed, did he make use of speech again, and he asked the abbot to come and visit him. He revealed to him the story of his past life, his name, his origin, his crimes, and particularly the murder he had committed on the person of Saint Stanislaus. He made this confession with the marks of the most sincere contrition; then, after having received the Sacraments, he handed the royal ring to the abbot, which he had kept hidden until then, and he died.
Exile and penance of Boleslaw
Deposed and haunted by his crimes, the king went into exile in Hungary and ended his days anonymously as a lay brother with the Benedictines of Ossiach.
It had been noted that, often, during the night, Boleslaw spent entire hours in fervent prayer before an image of the Blessed Virgin, from which one may conclude that it was the Mother of God who obtained for him the grace of conversion and a holy death. His body rests, even today, in the church of the monastery of Ossiach.
Recognition and posterity
Canonized in 1253 by Innocent IV, Saint Stanislaus became the patron saint of Poland and his relics are honored in Krakow.
The martyrdom of Saint Stanislaus took place on May 8, 1079; he was canonized in 1253 by Innocent IV. Pope Clement VIII had his feast inserted into the Roman Missal and Breviary, to be celebrated by the entire Church, according to the double rite, on May 7, because the 8th is occupied by the feast of the apparition of Saint Michael. Many miracles have been performed at the Saint's tomb. He raised six dead people, restored sight to the blind, and cured all kinds of diseases.
The body of Saint Stanislaus was transfer red to the Cathedral o cathédrale de Cracovie City of origin and burial of Salomea. f Krakow in 1088. The assassination of Saint Stanislaus, vested in his chasuble, at the foot of the altar by Boleslaus himself; the eagles that guard his body in the fields, the resurrection of the dead man he brings to testify in his favor, serve to characterize Saint Stanislaus in the representations that have been made of him.
He is one of the patrons of Poland and is especially honored in Krakow, Schweidnitz, etc.
See Callot, S. Leclerc, Estampes, Paris, etc. See the Bollandists, Longin, Deglees, the Vies choisies d'Andilly, etc.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.