History

Christianity came to Poland very early; some archeological discoveries confirm that Christian chapels were built near main castles and cities long before assuming Christianity as a ruling religion. About 875 the Polish Prince of Vistula was baptized by Christian Slavonic missionaries from the Great Moravia Empire. Then he established the first Polish Bishopric in his capital city Krakow. In 966 Prince Mieszko Piast had unified the Polish Principalities under his rule and officially accepted the Latin Christian (Roman Catholic) religion.

Since 1138 Poland was divided into several independent districts-principalities: Silesia, Masovia, Major Poland, Minor Poland, Pomerania and Sandomierz Land, all ruled by Polish princes: Gryfici (cousin’s branch of Piast Dynasty) in West Pomerania and Piasts in rest parts of Poland. During the times of crusades Polish knights fought against infidels, both at home front (pagan neighbours in the East and West) and in the Holy Land.

In 1066 Prince Henryk of Sandomierz established first Polish Commandery of Saint John Order in Zagosc. Another knightly Order of Holy Sepulchre was introduced to Poland (1163) by Jaxa, Duke of Kopanica (presently Berlin in Germany) and Miechow. In the beginnings of 13th century an originally Polish Order Christ's Knights of Dobrzyn was created to support the enforcement of Christianity in Prussia. In 1226 Konrad, Prince of Masovia invited to Poland knights of Order of Saint Mary of Jerusalem (Teutonic) and granted them many privileges and benefits (e.g. part of Chelmno-Kulm Land). Saint Mary Order was installed to help Poles in a crusade against pagan Prussian and Jacwierz tribes, an therefore to defend north-east borders of Poland. Piast dynasty became then protectors and benefactors of sometimes disobedient Teutonic Order. Prince Konrad's privileges (confirmed by the Pope) granted Saint Mary Order rights to conquest not-christianized areas of Prussia.

It is imaginable that some knights of Saint Lazarus have visited (and even stationed for a time) Polish territory in the second half of 12th century. Since the beginning of the 13th century the St. Lazarus Order was present in Poland. First the Order led hospitals in the cities Wroclaw (Silesia) and Poznan (Major Poland), later in Pomerania, Mazovia and Little Poland districts.

In 1241 near Legnica (Silesia) the Polish army, assisted by contingents provided by the knightly orders and led by prince Henryk II. Pious of Silesia, as commander-in-chief of the Christian forces, defended the Holy Faith and Europe during the infidel Mongol invasion. At the end of the 13th century the Order of St. Lazarus was present in all Polish Principalities and it established numerous hospitals (lazarets) near main cities. For its charitable activities the Order was highly appreciated by the rulers of Poland. King Ludwik d’Anjou the Great of Poland and Hungary (1370-1382) greatly supported the knights of Saint Lazarus in Poland. His daughter Saint Queen Jadwiga (protector of Saint Lazarus Order) after her one-self reign 1384-1386 she married - under provisions of Polish-Lithuanian Union Treaty (1385) - Wladyslaw Jagiello, Grand Duke of Lithuania. It was beginning of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwelth lasting well into 1795. In 1410 Prussians cities and bishops of the Teutonic Order State voluntarily offered to render homage to King Wladyslaw of Poland. During years 1454-66 King Kazimierz IV. of Poland finally incorporated Order state in Prussia and Livonia to Polish Crown. Polish Dynasty of Jagiellons became (like earlier the Piasts were) sovereign protectors and benefactors of Teutonic Order. Since that time numerous Poles were invested as Saint Mary Knights. Every grand master of this Order paid personal homage to King of Poland.

Another King, Wladyslaw III of Poland and Hungary (Jagiellon dynasty), protector of the Saint Lazarus Order in the Polish-Lithuanian-Hungarian Commonwealth, gave his life for the Holy Christian Faith in Varna (1444) during the crusade against the Muslim Turks, as an unsuccessful attempt to relieve Constantinople. Lazarus knights accompanied other orders in this unfortunate campaign.

In 16th century Teutonic Order was secularized as a result of reformation. In 1525 AD the last Grand Master of the order, Albrecht Hohenzollern was created hereditary Duke in Prussia by Polish Sovereign Zygmunt I. Similarly in 1561 King Zygmunt II appointed Master of the survived Livonian branch of the order as Duke of Livonia. Newly created duchies were granted partial autonomy in Polish Dominium (until granted independace of Prussia in 18th century).

On the turn from the 15th to the 16th century leprosy in Poland, like in all Europe, ceased to appear. Lazarus Monks began to take care of victims of other diseases. Several knights of the Order participated in battle of Mohac (1526) under the command of Ludwik II Jagiellonczyk, King of Hungary and Bohemia. In the first half of 16th century activities of the Order in Polish Dominium ceased to exist. Since 16th century knightly orders of Holy Sepulchre, Saint Catherine of Mount Sinai, Malta and others gained popularity among Polish nobility. Second in Poland and first Hereditary Commandery of Malta Order was established (1610) and protected by most powerful and famous aristocrat of this period, Prince Mikolaj Krzysztof Radziwill. In 1634 King Wladyslaw IV of Poland proclaimeda new knightly Order of Immaculate Virgin Saint Mary, known also as White Eagle Order (still exist as highest Order decoration in Poland).

Since the times of the Lazarus Order’s Grand Master Philippe de Courcillon, Marquis de Dangeau (1693-1720) Poles were admitted to this ancient venerable Order just like they did in Middle Ages. Among the most noble personalities one can name: Franciszek Count Granowski (1699), Jacek Count Dunin (1701), Antoni Dzbanski (1726) and Ludwik Count Konarski (1738). In these times numerous Poles were given the dignity of knighthood of the Savoyan branch of the Lazarus Order united with Order of Saint Maurice. In 1764 King Stanislaw August Poniatowski of Poland established the Order of St. Stanislaus. This idea was based on activities of the Lazarus Order and animated by Rev. Piotr Sliwinski, head of the Polish Missionaries of Saint Vincent a Paolo, named commonly "Lazarists". Therefore the Order of St. Stanislaus since the very beginning of its existence gathered knights willing to help poor and sick in Poland.

Defeat in twenty years long wars of three most powerful empires in the world against lonely catholic Poland resulted in so called Partition of Poland (1795-1807). During French revolution Louis XVIII. Grand Master of Saint Lazarus order found sanctuary in Poland (in Mittau and Warsaw). From 1815 reestablished Kingdom of Poland (without Lithuania) kept Personal Union with Romanov dynasty. King Mikolaj Romanov of Poland (also Tsar of Russia) was dethroned in 1831 by Polish Parliament. Polish-Russian war broke out. Prince Michal Radziwill, member of National Government, was appointed as Polish Army Commander-in-Chief. Unfortunately Russian Army prevailed. Since 1832 until 1917 the Romanov dynasty illegally used and abused the title of King of Poland. Faithful Roman-Catholic Poles bore the burden of enemy rule. The leading class of Polish society, the nobility, was oppressed mercilessly. Many of them left the country and emigrated to Western Europe. One of these emigrants, the Polish priest Rev. Canon Jan Tanski, was appointed by Order’s spiritual protector H.B. Patriarch Ciril VIII. of Jerusalem, as chancellor and chaplain of the Order of Saint Lazarus. He had managed to convince the Patriarch to restitute the Order’s Chapter in Europe, which was done 1910. Since 1917 Kingdom of Poland was a governed by a Council of Regents. In 1919 Poland was proclaimed a republic. In 1920 Polish Army defeated soviet invaders reaching for Europe ("through dead body of Poland to the heart of Europe" as said by soviet leader Leo Trotsky-Bronstein). Polish “Crusaders” defended Europe and Holy Christian Faith.

In 1929 several Polish nobles were admitted to the Order. In 1930 H.R.H. Don Francisco de Paula de Borbón y de la Torre, Duke of Seville, Grandee of Spain. became Grand Master of the Order. During his government the Order grow very quick in different countries in Europe and also in America. The great renaissance of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus in the 20th century also happened in Poland. In the 30s the Priory of Poland has been installed under the leadership of a Prince Radziwill. Count Zamoyski was acted as Chancellor. The members of the Polish Priory had offered considerable financial support to the activities of Holy Catholic Church. The Order in Poland was supported by Vatican Archbishop Ignacy Dubowski, titular Archbishop of Filipopolis, former Bishop of Luck and Zytomierz. Terrible menace of Nazi and Soviet aggression (1939-1945) and subsequent domination of communists (1947-1989) brutally broke the development of the Order in Poland. The remained members in exile have dispersed all over the world. Between 1940 and 1990 a Polish Government-in-exile, residing in London, represented the will of the nation to regain freedom. Some Polish emigrants joined the Order in their new countries. During the final years of Communist regime in Poland, in time of heavy economical crisis, knights from Western countries helped a lot, sending numerous convoys of medical and humanitarian supplies. In the city of Krakow (Nowa Huta) a hospice under the name of Saint Lazarus was created and led thanks to the Order.

During the 90s the Polish jurisdiction (both Malta and Paris Obedience) of Order was reinstalled. In 1999 the Grand Master HRH Don Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Escasany, Duke of Seville, Grandee of Spain, decided to appoint Prince Krzysztof Konstanty Radziwill as Commander of Poland with seat in the city of Gdansk in Pomerania region. The same year Igor M.P. Wojcik was appointed as Vice-Chancellor and Pawel Suchonski as Secretary. The Chancellery is located in Wroclaw (Silesia), where the Commandery keeps care of the Church of Saint Lazarus, founded at the beginning of 14th century. The ”Parisian” Grand Priory was led by Prof. Jan Deszcz until his dead in the year 2003. Fraternal and friendly reliationship are bearing between both obedience’s jurisdictions. In the year 1999 members of Polish Commandery established "Saint Lazarus Association in Poland (Stowarzyszenie Swietego Lazarza)", an assistent organization to provide all humanitarian and charitable activities of the Order in Poland.

Last Modified: 08. Dez 04