Grand Chancellor - Chev. Don Hunsaker II, PhD, GCCStS

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St. Stanislaus in Art

Birth: July 26, 1030, Szczepanów, Poland

Death: April 11?, 1079, Kraków, Poland.

Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church

AssisiCOA

Canonized: September 17, 1253, in Assisi, Italy.

Major shrine: Wawel Cathedral, Kraków

Feast: April 11 or May 7 (May 8 in Poland)
Notables Buried in Wawel Cathedral

Attributes: Episcopal insignia, sword, resurrected Piotr

Patronage: Poland, Kraków, moral order A Yearly Processional in held in his name.
May 14, 2006 Processional attended by members of our Order.
Pope John Paul's letter to Krakow, regarding St. Stanislas, dated May 8, 2003

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Left: another version by a Polish artist. Right: portrait by Dame Julian Sobieska.


This stained glass version of St. Stanislas Szczepanowski,
is from the Sotheby's Picture Gallery

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Left: Patron Saints: St. Waclaw, St. Wojciech, St. Stanislas, and St. Florian.
1506 Polish National Library
Right: St. Stanislas staggers back after being stabbed
in the Cathedral by the king, in 1079.
from the Mary Evans Picture Library

The killing of St. Stanislas, the Bishop of Krakow cuased a revolt of the nobles, and King Boleslaw have to flee to Hungary, where he soon died. Stanislas and the nobles conspired to have the king removed from his throne. Stanislas was executed for treason and had his limbs chopped off on Skalka Hill, in Krakow, Poland (which was sacred ground).


Canine Punishment
St. Stanislas reproached King Boleslaw for his immoral way of life, since it was Boleslaw's practice to have mothers suckle dogs instead of their children as a punishment for crimes against their husbands. This punishment was mainly for wives of his soldiers. Wives who had cheated on their husbands while they were away on campaigns. Boleslaw Smialy ("the Bold") (1039/40-1081) ordered the unfaithful wives to breastfeed young puppies, while their children born of their illegitimate liasons were to be fed by bitch (female) dogs.

Stanislas was canonized in 1253, and became Poland's second patron saint.

Saint Wojciech (pictured above) was Poland's first saint. He died while trying to convert the pagan Prussians in 997 A.D. His image was cast on the Gnieszno Cathedral doors in 1175, by a Flemish artist. Wojciech eas murdered with an axe. He is buried in Gneiszno Cathedral after King Boleslaw Chrobry, "the Brave" (967-1025) had paid Wojciech's body's weight in gold for its return.

Wojciech (Adalbert) was the exiled bishop of Prague (in 997). He did most of his missionary work on the Baltic Sea coast. Bishop Wojiech was a good friend of the German Emperor, Otto II, who organized a pilgrimage to visit his tomb.

Boleslaw Smialy "the Bold" was the great-grandson of Boleslaw Chrobry "the Brave":

Boleslaw Chrobry (967-1025)
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Mieszkow II Lambert (990-1034)
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Kazimierz Odnowiciel (1016-1058)
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Boleslaw Smialy (1040-1081)

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This page was last updated on April 25, 2007