Hyacinth of Poland

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Rochus Haas: The Holy Hyacinth - Dominican Church Friesach
The sacred hyacinth

Hyacinth of Poland (Polish: Jacek Odrowąż , Latinized Hyazinthus Odrovantius ) (* 1183 in Groß Stein, Polish Kamień Śląski ; † August 15, 1257 in Cracow ) was a Polish nobleman and clergyman who is considered the founder of the Dominican Order in Poland . In 1594 he was canonized .

Life

Youth and Studies

As the son of Count Eustachius von Kątsky and Beate Koński, Hyazinth ( Polish: Jacek ) was born in 1183 at Groß Stein Castle - which had belonged to the family since 1104 - in Upper Silesia . The noble Polish Koński family belonged to the Odrowąż coat of arms , which is why the Polish name Hyazinth is Jacek Odrowąż . A cousin or brother of Hyacinth was Czesław Odrowąż , who was later beatified .

He completed his studies in Paris , Krakow , Prague and Bologna . He received a doctorate in canon law and theology . He soon returned to Poland, where his uncle Ivo von Kątsky , who had been ordained Bishop of Cracow a year earlier, appointed him canon of the Wawel Cathedral .

Trip to Rome and entry into the Dominican order

The Krakow Dominican Church

This was followed by Hyacinth's trip to Rome in 1217 , during which he was accompanied by his brother Ceslaus , the noble Hermann the German and Gerhard von Breslau . The initiator of the trip was probably Bishop Iwo, who at that time became Pope Honorius III. came to renounce his appointment as Archbishop of Gniezno . There Hyacinth got to know Dominic and the Dominican order he founded and became his student. On Ash Wednesday 1220, Dominic's companions were accepted into the order. A mural in the Roman basilica of Santa Sabina illustrates the scene in which Dominic gave the habit to Hyacinth. In 1220, Hyacinths were sent out with other Polish Dominicans as missionaries to the north or towards Poland.

First monasteries founded

Hyazinth's missionary trip also took him to Friesach (Carinthia) , where he founded the first Dominican monastery in the German-speaking area in 1221 and pushed ahead with the construction of the monastery and church. He installed Hermann the German as head of the monastery . Via Bohemia he came back to Cracow in 1222, where Bishop Iwo transferred the Trinity Church to the Dominican Order in 1222. This became the basis for Hyacinth's second founding of the monastery. The Kraków Dominican Monastery became the main monastery of the Order in Poland. The Polish Dominicans entrusted Hyacinth with the further expansion of the order, which is why he traveled to Northern and Eastern Europe over the next few years, where he founded many monasteries, such as in Danzig in 1226.

Over time, the number of Polish Dominican monasteries grew strongly, so that in 1226 the Order of Polonia was founded for the East Central European area, of which Hyacinth became provincial in 1228.

Later mission trips and death

Marian apparition of the holy hyacinth; Ludovico Carracci 1594

In 1228 Hyacinth went to Kiev as part of his Russian missionary work and founded a monastery here (other sources give the year 1223 as the foundation of the monastery). The missionary work continued after his departure in 1233 and monasteries in Halych and Wolodymyr-Wolynskyj followed . During his missionary trip to the Prussians , monasteries were established in Chełm (1233) and Elblag (1236). Furthermore, the founding of the monasteries in Thorn , Sandomierz , Riga , Dorpat and Königsberg go back to him. Another missionary trip to Rothreußen (Dominican convent Przemyśl around 1240) was ended by the invasion of the Golden Horde , which not only caused severe damage to the country but also to the monasteries. As a result, Hyacinth was active in rebuilding the monasteries.

He died in Cracow and was buried in the Trinity Church of the Dominican Monastery in Cracow. In the 18th century, the hyacinth chapel ( kaplica Św. Jacka ) was added to the church in a lush baroque style for his grave .

Hyacinth began to be worshiped soon after his death, because many miracles, especially Marian apparitions and healing of the sick, were ascribed to him. That is why he was also called the “miracle worker of the century” . His canonization took place on April 17, 1594 by Pope Clement VIII. Later Pope Innocent XI proclaimed him . 1686 patron of Lithuania . His feast day in the Catholic Church is August 17th .

Representation in art

Mostly the holy hyacinth is shown in the habit of his order, otherwise the artistic representation is based on the many legends of the saint. He is often shown during one of his many Marian apparitions , healing the sick or with a lily . Other depictions show him holding a monstrance or host bowl and a statue of Our Lady as attributes in his hands.

Because a legend reports that when the Golden Horde invaded Kiev , he wanted to bring the Holy of Holies out of the burning monastery to safety. However, the statue of Our Lady in the church asked him not to leave her to the enemy. Accordingly, with the alabaster statue and the monstrance in his hands, he walked through the crowds of the Golden Horde. He crossed the Dnieper with the help of his coat, which he spread out as a bridge and is said to have reached Krakow again. He is venerated as the patron saint of the Dominicans and for drowning people.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Hyacinth of Poland  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c d http://www.jacek.iq.pl/content/view/99/43/
  2. ↑ See photo of the mural ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.op.org
  3. ↑ a b Cf. Erna and Hans Melchers: The great book of saints . Munich 1978
personal data
SURNAME Hyacinth of Poland
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jacek Odrowąż
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dominicans and saints
DATE OF BIRTH 1183
PLACE OF BIRTH Big stone
DATE OF DEATH August 15, 1257
Place of death Krakow