Rocznik Historii Sztuki (45.2020)

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JANINA DZIK

MORAL VALUES AND THE DEFENSE AND LEGITIMIZATION OF CATHOLIC EUROPE.
THE SETTING OF STANISŁAW KOSTKA’S BEATIFICATION AND CANONIZATION CEREMONIES
IN THE POLISH-LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH
Summary
The putting on of spectacular ceremonies finalizing the acts of beatification and canonization of Stanisław Kostka, taking place in the
principal Jesuit centers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, was an important artistic activity of modem times. The content programs
of the decorations which accompanied the celebrations between 1606 and 1726, known to us from written sources, reflect the propaganda
of the Kostka ceremonies. The oldest occasional decorations and outdoor shows taking place in the city of Jarosław had been organized on
the initiative of his relative Anna née Kostka Ostrogska. They were organized in connection with the proclamation of Stanisław Kostka as
Blessed by Pope Paul V in 1606. The theme of the decorations accentuated the importance of the moral values of this ascetic follower of the
Counter-Reformation Church, while the widely used language of allegory defined his individual spiritual values and illustrated scenes from
his life and miracles.
However, Stanisław Kostka soon became seen as an advocate of the Polish Lithuanian-Commonwealth in its military struggles in the
East, especially in the conflict with the Ottoman Porte. After the victory of Chocim (Khotyn) in 1621 he was revered as the patron saint of
the Polish knighthood, and after the victory at the Battle of Chocim in 1673 he was rapidly proclaimed (in 1674) one of the main patrons of
the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was this aspect of Kostka’s promotion that was used in the decorative themes
of his thanksgiving ceremonies after the closing of the beatification process and the decree of canonization by Pope Clement XI in 1714. The
decorations of the Jesuit Church in Lublin, described in detail in the records of the Society of Jesus (1715), explained and glorified the new
role of the young saint. His role as a guarantor of peace and stability of the Commonwealth, revealed in God’s eternal plans, was presented
through astral configurations and complicated semantic systems. Kostka’s canonization, which had raised the importance of the Polish-Li-
thuanian Commonwealth, as being linked to the papacy and the Catholic faith, was seen as the culmination of a great historical message and
the revelation of the secret given to Poland, also recognizable thr ough astral configuration.
The military and diplomatic triumph over the Ottoman Porte was considered a breakthr ough moment, opening a period of happiness
achieved thanks to Kostka’s intervention and the support of Heaven. The result of a united front in the battle with a common enemy was to
achieve a state of happiness that strengthened the ecclesiastical and monarchical order, an idea taken up by the decorations seen in Jar osław
and Vilnius, amongst others. The ad hoc political content was moved to the sphere of the monastic political philosophy and historical theol-
ogy. An allusion to the happy future that mathematicians had supposedly predicted was also included in the decorations.
After the partition of Poland and the dissolution of the Jesuit order, the revival of the fading cult of Stanislaw Kostka took place in the
Second Polish Republic, particularly dur ing the jubilee celebrations of the 200th anniversary of his canonization in 1927. This was seen in
the ceremony of bringing his relics from Rome to the new church in Rostków, which was attended by the President of the Republic of Poland
Ignacy Mościcki. However, there was a significant change in semantics as Stanisław Kostka was now described as the patron saint of children
and youth, frequent Holy Communion and felicitous vocational choices.

fransi. Katarzyna Krzyżagórska-Pisarek