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 900th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Stanislaus, Patron Saint of Poland Scott 648-651 (1979) 120 L: Martyrdom of Saint Stanislaus 150L: Saint Stanislaus appearing to the people 250 L: Gold Reliquary containing the Saint's head 500 L: View of the Wawel Cathedral, Krakow April 11 marks the feast day for Saint Stanislas, who died on this date in 1079. He is the patron saint of Poland. Stanislas was born in 1030 into a noble family at Szczepanow, and was ordained in Krakow and consecrated a bishop in 1072. Historian David Farmer describes him as “a zealous reformer, a tireless preacher, and a generous benefactor to the poor.” He quarreled with King Boleslaw II over the ruler’s acts of violence and injustice. Boleslaw was excommunicated when he did not repent. It is said that the king’s guards would not attack Stanislaus when ordered to do so, so the king killed Stanislaus by the sword. Subsequently it is said the body was dismembered but then miraculously joined back together.  Wawel Cathedral, Krakow, Poland Photo by Jar.ciurus From Wikimedia Commons Used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Poland license Miracles were associated with his tomb and his final resting place is a magnificent silver casket in the royal chapel at Krakow. A special reliquary (shown on one of the stamps above) contains the head of the saint. St. Stanislaus was often referred to by Pope Saint John Paul II during his first visit to Poland in 1979, especially as representative of the ‘moral order’ which the bishop of Szczpanow attempted to uphold 900 years earlier. It was a clear message to the Polish people under communist rule. In addition to Poland, Stanislaus is also venerated in Lithuania, Byelorussia, and the Ukraine. REFERENCES: |
