Kinga of Poland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saint Kinga of Poland
Born 5 March 1224
Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary
Died 24 July 1292(1292-07-24) (aged 68)
Stary Sącz
Honored in Catholic Church
Beatified 11 June 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII
Canonized 16 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II
Feast 24 July
Attributes depicted as an abbess; crown
Patronage Poland, Lithuania

Saint Kinga of Poland (also known as Cunegunda, Kunigunda, Kunegunda, Cunegundes, Kioga, Zinga; Polish: Święta Kinga, Hungarian: Szent Kinga) (5 March 1224 – 24 July 1292) is a saint in the Catholic Church and patroness of Poland and Lithuania.

She was born in Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, the daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. She was a niece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary and great-niece of Saint Hedwig. Kinga's sisters were Saint Margaret of Hungary and Jolenta of Poland. She reluctantly married Bolesław V ("the Chaste"). She became princess when her husband ascended the throne as Prince of Cracow. Despite the marriage, the devout couple took up a vow of chastity. The marriage was largely arranged by and the vow of chastity patterned after that of Boleslaw's sister Salome of Cracow.[1]

During her reign Kinga got involved in charitable works such as visiting the poor and helping the lepers. When her husband died in 1279, she sold all her material possessions and gave the money to the poor. She soon did not want any part in governing the kingdom which was left to her and decided to join the Poor Clares monastery at Sandec (Stary Sącz). She would spend the rest of her life in contemplative prayer and did not allow anyone to refer to her past role as Grand Duchess of Poland. She died on 24 July 1292, aged 68.

Veneration

Pope Alexander VIII beatified Kinga in 1690. In 1695, she was made chief patroness of Poland and Lithuania. On 16 June 1999, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II.

  • Saint Kinga

  • The wooden sculpture of Saint Kinga of Poland in Wiślica.

  • Statue of St. Kinga (1820) in Nowy Korczyn

  • Sculpture of Saint Kinga from Saint Joseph's Church, Muszyna, Poland

  • Saint Kinga's Chapel, Wieliczka Salt Mine

  • The statue of Saint Kinga, patron saint of the salt miners, carved on salt in the cathedral of Saint Kinga of Poland, in the salt mine of Wieliczka in Poland, 101 meters under the surface.

  • The story has Kinga throwing her engagement ring into the Maramures salt mine in Hungary. The ring miraculously traveled along with salt deposits to Wieliczka where it was rediscovered. Saint Kingas Chapel depicting when a miner finds her ring.

  • Saint Kinga of Poland's altar in Wieliczka

  • St. Kinga, depicted by Włodzimierz Tetmajer

  • Monument to St. Kinga at the monastery of Stary Sącz

  • Statue of Saint Kinga, near Trzy Korony

  • St Kinga icon, near Rochester, New York

Ancestry

Sources

  1. ↑ Profile, books.google.com; accessed 17 January 2014.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kinga of Poland.

External links

Kinga of Poland
House of Árpád
Born: 5 March 1224 Died: 24 July 1292
Royal titles
Preceded by
Agafia of Rus		 High Duchess consort of Poland
1243–1279 		Succeeded by
Agrippina of Kiev
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.