Legends and Veneration
| Jadwiga of Poland | |
|---|---|
Jadwiga, King of Poland |
|
| Queen of Poland | |
| Born | Buda |
| Died | 17 July 1399 Kraków, Poland |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 8 August 1986, Kraków, Poland |
| Canonized | 8 June 1997, Kraków, Poland |
| Major shrine | Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland |
| Feast | 17 July |
| Attributes | Royal dress and shoes, apron full of roses |
| Patronage | Queens, united Europe |
From the time of her death, Jadwiga was venerated widely in Poland as a saint, though she was only beatified by the church in the 1980s. She was canonized in 1997, by Polish-born Pope John Paul II. Numerous legends about miracles were recounted to justify her sainthood. The two best-known are those of "Jadwiga's cross" and "Jadwiga's foot."
Jadwiga often prayed before a large black crucifix hanging in the north aisle of Wawel Cathedral. During one of these prayers, the Christ on the cross is said to have spoken to her. The crucifix, "Saint Jadwiga's cross," is still there, with her relics beneath it.
Jadwiga liked to smuggle food from the castle to give to the poor, and carried it in her apron. King Jagiello was informed of these excursions at night, and was told that Jadwiga might be giving information to rebels. King Jagiello was enraged and decided to find the meaning of these wanderings after dark. One night, while Jadwiga was leaving by a secret door, Jagiello sprang out of the bushes and demanded to see what was in her apron. A miracle occurred and the food she was carrying (which would have earned her a death sentence), turned into a garland of roses. To this day, Jadwiga is always depicted wearing an apron of roses.
According to another legend, Jadwiga took a piece of jewelry from her foot and gave it to a poor stonemason who had begged for her help. When the King left, he noticed her footprint in the plaster floor of his workplace, even though the plaster had already hardened before her visit. The supposed footprint, known as "Jadwiga's foot", can still be seen in one of Kraków's churches.
In yet another legend, Jadwiga was taking part in a Corpus Christi Day procession when a coppersmith's son drowned by falling into a river. Jadwiga threw her mantle over the boy's body, and he regained life.
On 8 June 1979 Pope John Paul II prayed at her sarcophagus; and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments officially affirmed her beatification on 8 August 1986. The Pope canonized Jadwiga in Kraków on 8 June 1997.
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