St. Stanislaus of Kraków

Q: Who was St. Stanislaus of Kraków?

St. Stanislaus of Kraków was a Roman Catholic bishop of Kraków , Poland, who opposed King Bolesław II the Bold and was executed in 1079. He was the first Pole to be canonized (declared a saint ).

Q: What is St. Stanislaus of Kraków the patron saint of?

St. Stanislaus of Kraków is the patron saint of Poland and the city of Kraków . He is also invoked to protect soldiers in battle.

Q: What was St. Stanislaus of Kraków’s role in the opposition to King Bolesław II?

St. Stanislaus of Kraków (who was elected bishop of Kraków in 1072) joined the opposition against King Bolesław II (reigned 1076–79) of Poland under the leadership of Władysław Herman, Bolesław’s brother, and excommunicated the king. In 1079 Stanislaus was accused of treason , found guilty by the royal court, and sentenced to dismemberment in 1079. Following his execution, the king was forced to flee to Hungary .

Polish saint

Also known as: Święty Stanisław z Krakowa, Święty Stanisław ze Szcyepanowa, Saint Stanislas of Kraków, Saint Stanislas of Szczepanow, Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów(Show More)

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History

Who was St. Stanislaus of Kraków?

What is St. Stanislaus of Kraków the patron saint of?

What was St. Stanislaus of Kraków’s role in the opposition to King Bolesław II?

What was the miracle of St. Stanislaus of Kraków?

St. Stanislaus of Kraków (born c. 1030, Szczepanów, Poland—died April 11, 1079, Kraków; canonized 1253; feast day April 11, feast day in Kraków May 7) was the bishop of Kraków (Cracow) and the first Pole to be canonized (declared a saint). He is venerated as the patron saint of Poland and of the city of Kraków and is also invoked to protect soldiers in battle.

Of noble birth, Stanislaus studied at Gniezno, Poland, and probably at Paris. While serving as canon and preacher at Kraków, he was elected—after Pope Alexander II nominated him—bishop of Kraków in 1072. During that time Poland was in a state of political unrest, with active opposition to King Bolesław II the Bold. Stanislaus joined the opposition under the leadership of Władysław Herman, the king’s brother, and excommunicated Bolesław.

In 1079 Stanislaus was accused of treason. The royal court found him guilty and sentenced him to dismemberment. Following the execution of Stanislaus, King Bolesław was forced to flee to Hungary. These events have remained a matter of controversy between those Polish historians who believe Stanislaus was part of a Bohemian-German plot designed to remove Bolesław and replace him with Władysław, and those who describe the execution as a contemptible act of revenge against a saintly bishop who had excommunicated a cruel, licentious king. In any case, miracles and legends spread the cult of the martyred bishop to Lithuania, Belorussia, and Ukraine, and Stanislaus became the patron saint of his native Poland.