The dearest place in Wawel Cathedral, for me, is the crypt of St. Leonardo. It is a part of the former cathedral of the time of King Bolesław Krzywousty. The crypt itself is a witness to even earlier times. It remembers the first bishops from the beginning of the 11th century: here begins the genealogy of the Cracow episcopate. These first bishops bear the mysterious names Prokop and Prokulf, as if of Greek origin. Gradually, new names are emerging, increasingly Slavic, like Stanislaw (Stanislaus) from Szczepanow, who became bishop of Kraków in 1072. In 1079 he was killed by envoys of King Boleslaw Śmiały. And then, this king had to escape from Krakow and most likely as a penitent ended his life in Ossiach. When I became metropolitan of Krakow, going back from Rome to Krakow, in Ossiach, I celebrated a holy Mass. Over there a poetic narrative of this fact from centuries ago was created: I wrote a poem entitled “Stanislaus”.
Saint Stanislaus, “Father of the Fatherland”. On Sunday after May 8th there is a great procession from Wawel to Skałka. All the way through, people are singing songs interspersed with antiphon: “Saint Stanislaus, our patron, pray for us.” The procession descends from Wawel, passes through the streets of Stradom and Krakowska to Skałka where a holy Mass is celebrated. Usually, the holy Mass is celebrated by an invited bishop. After the holy Mass, the procession returns the same way to the cathedral, and the relics of St. Stanislaus’ head which are carried in a magnificent reliquary are placed on the altar. Poles were from the very beginning convinced about the holiness of this bishop and very zealously sought his canonization, which took place in Assisi in the XIII century. In this Umbrian city, to this day frescoes depicting St. Stanislaus have been preserved (…)
There are so many luminous figures of Polish saints in the background, but with the eyes of my heart I see a giant figure of the bishop and martyr, St. Stanislaus. As I have already mentioned, I dedicated a poem to him, in which I recall the history of his martyrdom, seeing in them a reflection of the history of the Church in Poland.
John Paul II: “Rise, let us be on our way”
St. Stanislaus BM Publishing House, Krakow 2004
