The worship of St. Adalbert.

Bishof  Wojciech (Adlbert) brought from Czechia to Poland, influenced the fate of many people and countries. St. Adalbert went to christianize the pagans in Prussia, where he began his mission in 997. The bishop was attacked probably due to a violation of some rules of the pagan religion. Pagans didn’t want to hear the missionary’s instructions and therefore behaved aggressively. St. Adalbert was murdered by six hits with a spear through the heart. Then his head was cut off and put onto the spear, which was placed in a prominent place. The body was guarded by Prussian warriors. The other priests were sent to the Polish Duke to tell him about the incident, which was a warning for monks staying on their territory. The body of the missionary was bought by the Duke Boleslav the Brave. He agreed to pay for it with gold with a weight equal to the weight of the body of St.Adalbert.  Polish Duke made a glam funeral and put his corpse in capital city, Gniezno. The martyr’s remains were stolen by the Czechs in 1038.

In 1000 the Holy Roman Emperor Otton III went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Adalbert. Boleslav the Brave gave him the arm of the first Polish martyr and, in return, he obtained a copy of the spear of St. Maurice and a relic of a nail of the Jesus’ Cross. The place of cult of St. Adalbert is the cathedral in Gniezno, the first capital of Poland. There are the famous Gniezno Doors, which depict scenes from the life of the bishop. St. Adalbert is the patron of Poland.

The relics of St. Adalbert and created thanks to them the bishopric in Gniezno allowed the coronation of Boleslav the Brave to the first king of Poland on 18th April, 1025. It was important politically and moraly, because it confirmed the full independence and sovereignty of the rulers of the state.

Wilk Agata