Daniel Schultz (1615–1683), Saint
Casimir Jagiellon, circa 1670, St. Casimir Church, Kraków
Saint Casimir
Il est le deuxième des
treize enfants du roi de Pologne, Kazimierz Jagellon le Grand. Il a treize ans
quand son père lui commande d'aller ceindre la couronne de Hongrie. Mais il
devra livrer bataille. Casimir refuse une couronne qu'il lui faudra conquérir
dans un bain de sang chrétien. "J'ai en vue, écrit-il alors, une union de
la Hongrie avec la Pologne, mais pas une guerre fratricide". Régent de
Pologne en l'absence de son père, prince intelligent et généreux, il accomplit
ses fonctions avec conscience et justice. Atteint de tuberculose pulmonaire, il
refuse les moyens qu'on lui propose pour sauver sa vie. Il avait fait vœu de chasteté.
Au milieu d'une cour luxueuse, il sut garder un grand amour des pauvres et de
la pauvreté grâce à une vie de prière intense. Il mourut en 1484.
Saint
Casimir (1458–1484), circa 1594, The original is in Saint Casimir's Chapel in
Vilnius Cathedral. http://www.kazimieroparapija.lt/sv-kazimieras
Saint Casimir
Fils de Casimir IV de
Pologne (+ 1484)
Il est le deuxième des
treize enfants du Grand-Duc de Lituanie, devenu roi de Pologne, Kazimierz
Jagellon le Grand. Il a treize ans quand son père lui commande d'aller ceindre
la couronne de Hongrie. Mais il devra livrer bataille. Casimir refuse une couronne
qu'il lui faudra conquérir dans un bain de sang chrétien. "J'ai en
vue", écrit-il alors, "une union de la Hongrie avec la Pologne, mais
pas une guerre fratricide". Régent de Pologne en l'absence de son père,
prince intelligent et généreux, il accomplit ses fonctions avec conscience et
justice. Atteint de tuberculose pulmonaire, il refuse les moyens qu'on lui
propose pour sauver sa vie. Il avait fait voeu de chasteté et ses médecins lui
proposaient de l'abandonner comme étant le meilleur moyen de guérir: "Plutôt
mourir que de commettre le péché." Au milieu d'une cour luxueuse, il sut
garder un grand amour des pauvres et de la pauvreté grâce à une vie de prière
intense. Il est le patron de la Lituanie, mais la Pologne ne l'oublie pas dans
ses prières.
Mémoire de saint Casimir,
fils du roi de Pologne, prince que le zèle pour la foi, la chasteté, la
pénitence, la bonté envers les pauvres et la dévotion envers l’Eucharistie et
la Vierge Marie ont rendu célèbre. Atteint de phtisie, il mourut saintement, à
l’âge de vingt-six ans, au château de Grodno, à Vilnius en Lituanie, l’an 1484.
Martyrologe romain
Le prince royal ne peut
rien faire de plus noble que de servir le Christ caché dans les pauvres. En ce
qui me concerne, je ne veux que servir les plus pauvres d’entre les pauvres.
Saint Casimir en réponse
à l’un de ses interlocuteurs
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/742/Saint-Casimir.html
.jpg)
Carlo
Dolci (1616–1686) , San
Casimiro
Святы
Казімір. Абраз Караля Дольчы. 2-я пал. XVII ст. Дзяржаўны музей выяўленчага
мастацтва імя А. С. Пушкіна. Масква
Prince de Pologne
(1458-1483)
Saint Casimir nous apprend par sa vie comment l'éclat de la chasteté peut
s'allier avec celui des grandeurs humaines. Dès sa jeunesse, il eut soin de
fuir les faux attraits du monde, son plaisir le plus doux était de passer
plusieurs heures de suite au pied des autels et de faire la cour à
Jésus-Christ, le Roi des rois. Il macérait son corps frêle et délicat par les
jeûnes et les disciplines, et souvent il passait les nuits entières sur la
terre dure, quelquefois même à la porte des églises, où il priait, le visage
contre terre.
La dévotion tendre de Casimir pour Jésus Crucifié lui faisait verser
d'abondantes larmes à la seule vue d'un Crucifix. Quand il assistait au saint
Sacrifice de la Messe, il n'était pas rare de le voir transporté hors de
lui-même au moment où la céleste Victime descendait du Ciel entre les mains du
prêtre.
Parmi ses vertus, on en loue deux avant toutes les autres: sa charité et sa
pureté. Il ne parlait jamais des défauts du prochain. Il avait des paroles
enflammées quand il s'entretenait sur la beauté de l'innocence: "Quelle
belle vie, s'écriait-il, que celle de l'état de grâce! C'est la vie des anges
et des bienheureux dans le Ciel !"
Sa vue seule inspirait la chasteté à ceux qui avaient occasion de converser
avec lui. La sauvegarde d'une vertu si extraordinaire était une dévotion peu
commune à la Sainte Vierge. Il ne L'appelait que sa bonne Mère, n'en parlait
qu'avec tendresse et dans les termes les plus capables d'inspirer aux autres
son ardent amour. Il a exprimé les pieux sentiments qui débordaient de son âme
pour Marie dans une hymne célèbre qui commence ainsi: "Chaque jour, ô mon âme,
rends tes hommages à Marie; célèbre dévotement Ses fêtes et chante Ses
vertus." Non content de réciter tous les jours cette hymne, il voulut
encore être enterré avec elle, et on la trouva, cent vingt ans après sa mort,
dans son tombeau.
Son dévouement pour les pauvres et les malheureux était si grand, qu'il reçut
le surnom de Père et défenseur des pauvres et des misérables. A ceux qui lui
reprochaient de descendre au-dessous de son rang dans les soins qu'il donnait
aux indigents, il répondait: "N'est-ce pas un honneur que de servir
Jésus-Christ dans Ses membres?"
Casimir reçut révélation du jour et de l'heure de sa mort, qui arriva le 4 mars
1483. Le pieux prince avait vingt-cinq ans à peine; mais, dans sa courte
carrière, il fit plus de bien à son peuple, par l'exemple de ses vertus, que
des hommes célèbres pendant un long règne. La sainteté est plus féconde que le
génie.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame,
1950.
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_casimir.html
Kazimierz
Mirecki (1830–1911), Saint Casimir Giving Alms , 1884, 176
x 118, National Museum in Kraków (National
Museum in Kraków)
St Casimir, confesseur
Mort à Vilna en 1484, son
inscription au martyrologe en 1584 lui tint lieu de canonisation par
équipollence. Le pape Paul V introduisit sa fête au calendrier en 1621.
Leçons des Matines avant
1960
Quatrième leçon. Casimir,
fils de Casimir, roi de Pologne, et d’Élisabeth d’Autriche, instruit dès son
enfance par d’excellents maîtres dans la piété et les belles lettres, domptait ses
jeunes membres par un rude cilice et les affaiblissait par des jeûnes assidus.
Dédaignant la mollesse d’un lit royal, il couchait sur la dure, et s’en allait
secrètement, au milieu de la nuit, implorer, prosterné contre terre devant les
portes des églises, la divine miséricorde. La passion de Jésus-Christ était
l’objet continuel de ses méditations, et lorsqu’il assistait à la sainte Messe,
son esprit était d’ordinaire tellement élevé en Dieu, qu’il semblait ravi hors
de lui même.
Cinquième leçon. Il s’appliqua
avec soin à promouvoir la foi catholique, et à abolir le schisme des Ruthènes ;
c’est pourquoi il porta le roi Casimir, son père, à défendre par une loi, aux
schismatiques, de bâtir de nouvelles églises, et de réparer les anciennes qui
tombaient en ruines. Bienfaisant et miséricordieux envers les pauvres et les
malheureux, il s’acquit le nom de père et de protecteur des indigents. Sur la
fin de sa vie, il prouva courageusement son amour pour la virginité, qu’il
avait conservée intacte depuis son enfance, quand, dans une grave maladie, il
résolut fermement de mourir plutôt que de rien faire contre la chasteté.
Sixième leçon. Consumé en
peu de temps, plein de vertus et de mérites, après avoir prédit le jour de sa
mort, il rendit son âme à Dieu, entouré de Prêtres et de religieux, en la
vingt-cinquième année de son âge. Son corps, transporté à Vilna, devint célèbre
par beaucoup de miracles. En effet, non seulement on vit à son tombeau une
jeune fille morte revenir à la vie, des aveugles recouvrer la vue, des boiteux
être guéris, et de nombreux malades retrouver la santé mais ii apparut dans les
airs à une armée lithuanienne effrayée de son petit nombre, au moment de
l’invasion inopinée d’un ennemi puissant, et il lui fit remporter une victoire
insigne. Déterminé par ces merveilles, Léon X inscrivit Casimir au nombre des
Saints.
Szymon Czechowicz (1689–1775), Wizja św. Kazimierza, circa 1741, 200 x 150, Kolegiata akademicka pw. św. Anny, Krak
Dom Guéranger, l’Année
Liturgique
C’est du sein même d’une
cour mondaine que l’exemple des plus héroïques vertus nous est offert
aujourd’hui. Casimir est prince de sang royal ; toutes les séductions de la
jeunesse et du luxe l’environnent ; cependant, il triomphe des pièges du monde
avec la même aisance que le ferait un Ange exilé sur la terre. Profitons d’un
tel spectacle ; et si, dans une condition bien inférieure à celle où la divine
Providence avait placé ce jeune prince, nous avons sacrifié à l’idole du
siècle, brisons ce que nous avons adoré, et rentrons au service du Maître
souverain qui seul a droit à nos hommages. Une vertu sublime, dans les
conditions inférieures de la société, nous semble quelquefois trouver son
explication dans l’absence des tentations, dans le besoin de chercher au ciel
un appui contre une fortune inexorable : comme si, dans tous les états, l’homme
ne portait pas en lui des instincts qui, s’ils ne sont combattus, l’entraînent
à la dépravation. En Casimir, la force chrétienne paraît avec une énergie qui
montre que sa source n’est pas sur la terre, mais en Dieu. C’est là qu’il faut
aller puiser, dans ce temps de régénération. Un jour, Casimir préféra la mort
au péché. Fit-il autre chose, dans cette circonstance, que ce qui est exigé du
chrétien, à toute heure de sa vie ? Mais tel est l’attrait aveugle du présent,
que sans cesse on voit les hommes se livrer au péché qui est la mort de l’âme,
non pas même pour sauver cette vie périssable, mais pour la plus légère
satisfaction, quelquefois contre l’intérêt même de ce monde auquel ils
sacrifient tout le reste. Tel est l’aveuglement que la dégradation originelle a
produit en nous. Les exemples des saints nous sont offerts comme un flambeau
qui doit nous éclairer : usons de cette salutaire lumière, et comptons, pour
nous relever, sur les mérites et l’intercession de ces amis de Dieu qui, du
haut du ciel, considèrent notre dangereux état avec une si tendre compassion.
Reposez maintenant au
sein des félicités éternelles, ô Casimir, vous que les grandeurs de la terre et
toutes les délices des cours n’ont pu distraire du grand objet qui avait ravi
votre cœur. Votre vie a été courte en durée, mais féconde en mérites. Plein du
souvenir d’une meilleure patrie, celle d’ici-bas n’a pu attirer vos regards ;
il vous tardait de vous envoler vers Dieu, qui sembla n’avoir fait que vous
prêter à la terre. Votre innocente vie ne fut point exempte des rigueurs de la
pénitence : tant était vive en vous la crainte de succomber aux attraits des
sens ! Faites-nous comprendre le besoin que nous avons d’expier les péchés qui
nous ont séparés de Dieu. Vous préférâtes mourir plutôt que d’offenser Dieu ;
détachez-nous du péché, qui est le plus grand mal de l’homme, parce qu’il est
en même temps le mal de Dieu. Assurez en nous les fruits de ce saint temps qui
nous est accordé pour faire enfin pénitence. Du sein de la gloire où vous
régnez, bénissez la chrétienté qui vous honore ; mais souvenez-vous surtout de
votre patrie terrestre. Autrefois, elle eut l’honneur d’être un boulevard
assuré pour l’Église contre le schisme, l’hérésie et l’infidélité ; allégez ses
maux, délivrez-la du joug, et, rallumant en son sein l’antique zèle de la foi, préservez-la
des séductions dont elle est menacée.
Hermannus Collenius (1650–1723), The Holy Casimirus of Poland, circa 1723, 153 x 122
Bhx Cardinal
Schuster, Liber Sacramentorum
La fête de ce lis embaumé
de virginale pureté, au milieu même des frivolités d’une cour royale (+ 1483),
fut instituée par Paul V.
La messe est celle du
Commun des Confesseurs Os iusti, mais la première collecte est propre. En voici
le texte : « O Dieu qui, au milieu des délices royales et des séductions du
monde, avez fortifié par la vertu de constance le bienheureux Casimir, accordez
à vos fidèles, par son intercession, de mépriser les choses terrestres et
d’aspirer toujours davantage aux biens célestes. »
La fête des saints rois
et des puissants de cette terre a un prix et une beauté qui leur sont propres,
car plus difficile est la pratique de la perfection chrétienne en un pareil
état, c’est-à-dire au milieu des séductions des richesses et de la gloire, plus
est glorieuse la victoire que le Christ remporte par ses fidèles serviteurs,
rois des hommes, mais serviteurs de Jésus.
Święty
Kazimierz (1458-1484)
Dom Pius Parsch, le Guide
dans l’année liturgique
Il aurait pu pécher et ne
pécha pas.
Saint Casimir : Jour de
mort : 4 mars 1484. — Tombeau : à Vilna, en Pologne. Image : On le représente
avec une couronne et un sceptre à ses pieds, un lis à la main. Vie : Saint
Casimir, prince de Pologne, roi élu de Hongrie, naquit en 1458 et mourut le 4 mars
1484, à peine âgé de 25 ans. Il se distingua par sa pureté virginale et sa
charité pour les pauvres. Il est le patron de la Pologne et offre à la jeunesse
un modèle parfait de pureté. Il avait une grande dévotion pour la Mère de Dieu.
Il composa en son honneur l’hymne si délicat et si charmant : « Omni die ».
Quand on ouvrit son tombeau (1604), on en trouva une copie sous sa tempe droite
; son corps était demeuré intact.
Pratique : Un jeune
prince au milieu des plaisirs de la cour et des attraits du monde et,
cependant, plein de mépris pour le monde et d’une pureté sans tache, quelle
prédication pour nous qui sommes encore attachés à la terre !
SOURCE : http://www.introibo.fr/04-03-St-Casimir-confesseur
.jpg)
Ivan
Khrutsky (1810–1885), Святы Казімір пэндзля Івана Хруцкага / Сьвяты Казімер (Śviaty Kazimier) пэндзьля Яна (Івана) Хруцкага
Saint Casimir
Saint Casimir, prince de
la dynastie des Jagellons, troisième enfant et second fils des treize enfants
du roi Casimir IV de Pologne (1427 + 1492)[1] et d'Elisabeth d'Autriche, naquit
le 3 octobre 1458, à Cracovie. Pieusement élevé par sa mère, il fut formé par
les leçons du chanoine Jean Dugloss, futur archevêque de Lemberg, et de
l'humaniste Philippe Bonacorsi (Callimaque). Dévot à la sainte Vierge, méditant
les mystères de la Passion, le prince Casimir se tenait constamment dans
l'exercice de la présence de Dieu et, inviolablement attaché à la chasteté,
domptait ses passions par une vie d'austères mortifications.
En 1471, il accepta, pour
complaire à son père, son élection au trône de Hongrie[2]. Or, à peine
touchait-il les frontières de Hongrie, qu'il se retira parce qu'il avait
appris, outre que le pape Sixte IV désapprouvait l'entreprise, que le plus
grande partie du peuple hongrois était favorable au roi Matthias. Ses troupes
furent battues en Slovaquie (1472) et il retourna en Pologne. Il se retira
trois mois dans le château de Cobzki pour expier l'injustice de l'expédition.
Puisque son frère Wladislas était roi de Bohême, il semblait que Casimir serait
roi de Pologne où il prit part au gouvernement qu'il administra sagement
pendant que son père s'assurait la Lituanie destinée au cadet Jean-Albert
(1479-1483). Le prince Casimir refusa d'épouser la fille de l'empereur Frédéric
III (1481). De mœurs très pures, habitué à la mortification, il était vivement
attaché à la chasteté et puisait sa force et sa joie dans l'adoration du
Saint-Sacrement et la dévotion à la Vierge Marie.
Atteint de tuberculose
pulmonaire, il rejoignit ses parents en Lituanie où il mourut, à Grodno, le 4
mars 1484. Son corps fut porté dans la chapelle Notre-Dame, en l’église
cathédrale de Vilna, capitale de son duché de Lithuanie. Saint Casimir laissa
le souvenir d'un jeune prince intelligent et généreux, toujours joyeux, dévoué
aux affaires publiques et aux pauvres, en même temps que, par-dessus tout d'un
homme de prière et de renoncement. Lorsqu’en 1604, on ouvrit son tombeau pour
sa translation dans l’église que Sigismond III venait d’élever sous son
vocable, on trouva son corps frais et entier qui, entre ses mains tenait cette
hymne à la Sainte Vierge :
Chaque jour, ô mon âme,
rends tes hommages à Marie, solemnise ses fêtes et célèbre ses vertus
éclatantes ;
Contemple et admire son
élévation ; proclame son bonheur et comme Mère et comme Vierge ;
Honore-là afin qu’elle te
délivre du poids de tes péchés ; invoque-là afin de ne pas être entraîné par le
torrent des passions ;
Je le sais, personne ne
peut honorer dignement Marie ; il est insensé pourtant celui qui se tait sur
ses louanges ;
Tous les hommes doivent
l’exalter et l’aimer spécialement, et jamais nous ne devons cesser de la
vénérer et de la prier ;
O Marie, l’honneur et la
gloire de toutes les femmes, vous que Dieu a élevée au-dessus de toutes les
créatures ;
O Vierge miséricordieuse,
exaucez les vœux de ceux qui ne cessent de vous louer ;
Purifiez les coupables et
rendez-les dignes de tous les biens célestes ;
Salut, ô Vierge sainte,
vous par qui les portes du ciel ont été ouvertes à des misérables, vous que les
ruses de l’ancien serpent n’ont jamais séduite ;
Vous, la réparatrice, la
consolatrice des âmes au désespoir, préservez-nous des maux qui fondront sur
les méchants ;
Demandez pour moi que je
jouisse d’une paix éternelle, et que je n’aie pas le malheur d’être en proie aux
flammes de l’étang de feu ;
Demandez que je sois
chaste et modeste, doux, bon, sobre, pieux, prudent, droit et ennemi du
mensonge ;
Obtenez-moi la mansuétude
et l’amour de la concorde et de la pureté ; rendez-moi ferme et constant dans
la voie du bien.
[1] Issu du quatrième
mariage de Wladislas Jagellon, il fut envoyé en Lithuanie pour y représenter
son frère Wladislas, alors roi de Pologne, (1440) et les seigneurs lithuaniens
le proclamèrent grand prince indépendant de leur pays. Quand le roi Wladislas
eut péri à la bataille de Varna (1444), Casimir fut appelé au trône de Pologne.
[2] A la mort de
l’empereur Sigismond, son gendre, Albert de Habsbourg, fut reconnu comme roi de
Hongrie et fut accepté par la majorité (1438) tandis que la minorité élisait
Casimir Jagellon, mais les troupes polonaises durent battre en retraite. A la
mort d’Albert II de Habsbourg, le roi de Pologne, Wlasdislas III, fut élu roi
de Hongrie (1440) tandis que la Bohême élisait Lasdislas le Posthume, fils
d’Albert qui, après la mort de Wladislas III fut aussi roi de de Hongrie, mais
mourut sans postérité (1458). La Hongrie élut Mathias Corvin et la Bohême élut
Georges de Podiebrady. Or, Casimir IV Jagellon avait épousé Elisabeth de
Habsbourg, fille d’Albert II, qui lui avait apporté ses droits héréditaires aux
couronnes de Hongrie et de Bohême. Casimir IV refusa de prendre le parti de
Mathias Corvin contre Georges de Podiebrady qui lui offrit sa succession pour
son fils Wladislas lequel fut élu (1471). Les opposants à Mathias Corvin
offrirent la couronne de Hongrie au second fils de Casimir IV.
SOURCE : http://missel.free.fr/Sanctoral/03/04.php
.jpg)
Pietro Novelli (1603–1647), Сьвяты Казімер (Kazimier). Каранацыя, Chiesa
di San Nicola da Tolentino, Palermo.
Also
known as
Casimir of Cracow
Kazimieras…
Kazimierz…
Kazimir…
Profile
Fifteenth
century Polish prince,
the younger son of King Casimir IV of Poland and
Elizabeth of Austria.
Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1471;
third in line for the throne. Lived a highly disciplined, even severe life,
sleeping on the ground, spending a great part of the night in prayer,
dedicating himself to lifelong celibacy.
He had a great devotion to Mary,
supported the poor,
and lived a virtuous life amid the dissolute court.
Hungarian nobles
prevailed upon Casimir’s father to
send his 15-year-old son to be their king;
Casimir obeyed, taking the crown, but refusing to exercise power. His army was
outnumbered, his troops deserting
because they were not paid. Casimir returned home, and was a conscientious
objector from that time on.
He returned to prayer and study,
maintained his decision to remain celibate even
under pressure to marry the
emperor’s daughter. Reigned briefly as king during
his father‘s
absence.
Born
3 October 1458 in
Wawel, Kraków, Poland
4 March 1484 at
Grondo, Grand Duchy of Lithuania (in
modern Belarus) of tuberculosis
buried in
the Chapel of
Saint Casimir, cathedral of
Vilnius, Lithuania
1602 by Pope Clement
VIII
Lithuania (proclaimed
by Pope Urban
VIII in 1636
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Short
Lives of the Saints, by Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly
Vetus
Martyrologium Romanum, 1856 edition
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian
Catholic Truth Society
Domestic Church, by Catherine Fournier
Medieval Relgion Listserv, by John Dillon
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites
en français
Father
Christian-Philippe Chanut
fonti
in italiano
strony
w jezyku polskim
Conference of the Polish Episcopate
spletne
strani v slovenšcini
Readings
By the power of the Holy
Spirit, Casimir burned with a sincere and unpretentious love for almighty
God. So rich was his love and so abundantly did it fill his heart, that it
flowed out from his inner spirit toward his fellow men. As a result, nothing
was more pleasant, nothing more desirable for him, than to share his
belongings, and even to dedicate and give his entire self to Christ’s poor, to
strangers, to the sick, to those in captivity, and to all who suffer. To
widows, orphans, and the afflicted, he was not only a guardian and patron but a
father, son, and brother.
He actively took up the
cause of the needy and unfortunate and embraced it as his own; for this reason
the people called him the patron of the poor. Though the son of a king and
descendant of a noble line, he was never haughty in his conversation or
dealings with anyone, no matter how humble or obscure.
He always preferred to be
counted among the meek and poor of spirit, among those who are promised the
kingdom of heaven, rather than among the famous and powerful men of this
world. – from a biography of Saint Casimir written by
a contemporary
MLA
Citation
“Saint Casimir of
Poland“. CatholicSaints.Info. 31 October 2021. Web. 4 March 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-casimir-of-poland/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-casimir-of-poland/
.jpg)
Сьвяты Казімер (Śviaty Kazimier) з выявай
гербу Пагоні (Pahonia)
St. Casimir
Prince of Poland,
born in the royal palace at Cracow,
3 October, 1458; died at the court of Grodno, 4 March, 1484. He was the
grandson of Wladislaus II Jagiello, King of Poland,
who introduced Christianity into Lithuania,
and the second son of King Casimir IV and Queen Elizabeth,
an Austrian princess, the daughter ofAlbert
II, Emperor of Germany and
King of Bohemia and Hungary. Casimir's uncle, Wladislaus III,
King of Poland and Hungary,
perished at Varna in 1444, defending Christianity against
the Turks. Casimir's elder
brother, Wladislaus, became King of Bohemia in
1471, and King of Hungary in
1490. Of his four younger
brothers, John I, Albert, Alexander,
and Sigismund in turn occupied the Polish throne,
while Frederick, the youngest, became Archbishop of Gnesen, Bishop of Cracow,
and finally cardinal,
in 1493. The early training of the young princes was entrusted to
Father Dlugosz, the Polish historian, a canon at Cracow,
and laterArchbishop of Lwów (Lemberg),
and to Filippo Buonaccorsi, called Callimachus.
Father Dlugosz was a deeplyreligious man, a loyal patriot,
and like Callimachus, well versed in statecraft. Casimir was placed in the care
of this scholar at the age nine, and even then he was remarkable for his
ardent piety.
When Casimir was thirteen he
was offered the throne of Hungary by
a Hungarian faction
who were discontented under King
Matthias Corvinus. Eager to defend the Cross against the Turks,
he accepted the call and went to Hungary to
receive the crown. He was unsuccessful, however, and returned a fugitive
to Poland.
The young prince again became a pupil of Father Dlugosz, under whom he
remained until 1475. He was later associated with his father who
initiated him so well into public affairs that after his elder
brother, Wladislaus, ascended to the Bohemian throne,
Casimir became heir-apparent to the throne of Poland.
When in 1479 the king went to Lithuania to spend five years arranging
affairs there, Casimir was placed in charge of Poland,
and from 1481 to 1483 administered the State with great prudence and justice.
About this time his father tried
to arrange for him amarriage with the daughter of Frederick
III, Emperor of Germany,
but Casimir preferred to remain single. Shortly afterwards he fell victim to a
severe attack of lung trouble, which, weak as he was from fastings and mortifications,
he could not withstand. While on a journey to Lithuania,
he died at the court of Grodno, 4 March 1484. His remains were interred in
the chapel of
the Blessed
Virgin in the cathedral of Vilna.
St. Casimir was
possessed of great charms of person and character,
and was noted particularly for his justiceand chastity.
Often at night he would kneel for hours before the locked doors
of churches, regardless of the hour or the inclemency of the weather. He
had a special devotion
to the Blessed Virgin, and the hymn of St.
Bernard of Clairvaux, "Omni die dic Marix mea laudes anima", was
long attributed to him. After his death he was venerated as
a saint,
because of the miracles wrought
by him. Sigismund I, King of Poland, petitioned thepope for Casimir's canonization,
and Pope
Leo X appointed the papal
legate Zaccaria Ferreri, Bishop ofGuardalfiera,
the Archbishop of Gnesen,
and the Bishop of Przemysl to
investigate the life and miracles of
Casimir. This inquiry was completed at Turn in 1520, and in 1522 Casimir
was canonized by Adrian
VI. Pope
Clement VIII named 4 March as his feast. St. Casimir is
the patron of Poland Lithuania,
though he is honouredas
far as Belgiumand Naples.
In Poland and Lithuania churches and chapels are dedicated to
him, as at Rozana and on the River Dzwina near Potocka, where he is said to
have contributed miraculously to
a victory of thePolish army over the Russians. In the beginning of
the seventeenth century King Sigismund III began at Vilna the
erection of a chapel in honour of St.
Casimir, which was finished under King Wladislaus IV. The building
was designed by Peter Danckerts, of the Netherlands,
who also adorned the walls with paintings illustrating
the life of the saint.
In this chapel is
found an old painting renovated
in 1594, representing the saint with
a lily in his hand. Two other pictures of the saint are
preserved, one in his life by Ferreri, and the other in
thechurch at Krosno in Galicia.
Sources
POTTHAST, Biblotheca
historica medii ævi, Wegweiser (2nd ed.), 1236; CHEVALIER, Bio-bibl.,
s.v.; ESTREICHER, Bibliografia poloka (Cracow, 1903), XIX, 210-12;
PRILESZKY, Acta sanctorum Hungariæ (Tyrnau, 1743), I, 121-32;
FERRERI, Vita beati Casimiri confessoris ex serenissimis Poloniæ regibus (Cracow,
1521) in Acta SS., March, I, 347-51; ST. GREGORY, Miracula S. Casimiri
in Acta SS., March, I, 351-57; IDEM, S. Casimiri theatrum seu ipsius
prosapia, vita, miracula (Vilna, 1604); CIATI, La santità prodigiosa
di S. Casimiro (Luccoa, 16..); Officium S. Casimiri confessoris M. D.
Lithuaniæ patrini (Vilna, 1638); COLLE, Compendio della vita di S.
Casimiro (Palermo, 1650); TYSZKIEWICZ, Królewska droga do nisba albo
zycie sw. Kazimierza (Warsaw, 1752); Sw. Kazimier, in Przyjaeiel ludu (Lissa,
1846), XIII; PEKALSKI, Zywoty sw. Patronów polskich (Cracow, 1866);
PRZEZDZIECKI, Oraison de saint Casimir à la très sainte Vierge (Cracow,
1866); LESZEK, Zywot sw. Kazimierza Jagiellonczyka (Cracow, 1818);
PALLAN, Sw. Kazimierz (Tarnów, 1893); PAPÉE, Swiety Kazimierz
królewicz polski (Lemberg, 1902); PAPÉE, Studya i szkice z czasów
Kazimierza Jagiellonczyka (Warsaw, 1907), 141-54.
Abraham,
Ladislas. "St. Casimir." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 4 Mar.
2017 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03402a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Christine J. Murray.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03402a.htm
_(3).jpg)
St. Casimir was a
prince of Poland and born in the royal palace at Cracow, 3 October 1458. He was
the grandson of Wladislaus II Jagiello, King of Poland, who introduced
Christianity into Lithuania, and the second son of King Casimir IV and Queen
Elizabeth, an Austrian princess, the daughter of Albert II, Emperor of Germany
and King of Bohemia and Hungary. Casimir’s uncle, Wladislaus III, King of
Poland and Hungary, perished at Varna in 1444, defending Christianity against
the Turks. Casimir’s elder brother, Wladislaus, became King of Bohemia in 1471,
and King of Hungary in 1490.
Of his four younger
brothers, John I, Albert, Alexander, and Sigismund in turn occupied the Polish
throne, while Frederick, the youngest, became Archbishop of Gnesen, Bishop of
Cracow, and finally cardinal, in 1493. The early training of the young princes
was entrusted to Father Dlugosz, the Polish historian, a canon at Cracow, and
later Archbishop of Lwów (Lemberg), and to Filippo Buonaccorsi, called
Callimachus. Father Dlugosz was a deeply religious man, a loyal patriot, and
like Callimachus, well versed in statecraft. Casimir was placed in the care of
this scholar at the age nine, and even then he was remarkable for his ardent
piety. When Casimir was 13 he was offered the throne of Hungary by a Hungarian
faction who were discontented under King Matthias Corvinus.
Eager to defend the Cross
against the Turks, he accepted the call and went to Hungary to receive the
crown. He was unsuccessful, however, and returned a fugitive to Poland. The young
prince again became a pupil of Father Dlugosz, under whom he remained until
1475. He was later associated with his father who initiated him so well into
public affairs that after his elder brother, Wladislaus, ascended to the
Bohemian throne, Casimir became heir-apparent to the throne of Poland.
When in 1479 the king
went to Lithuania to spend 5 years arranging affairs there, Casimir was placed
in charge of Poland, and from 1481 to 1483 administered the State with great
prudence and justice. About this time his father tried to arrange for him a
marriage with the daughter of Frederick III, Emperor of Germany, but Casimir
preferred to remain single. Shortly afterwards he fell victim to a severe
attack of lung trouble, which, weak as he was from fastings and mortifications,
he could not withstand. While on a journey to Lithuania, he died at the court
of Grodno, 4 March 1484. His remains were interred in the chapel of the Blessed
Virgin in the cathedral of Vilna.
St. Casimir was possessed
of great charms of person and character, and was noted particularly for his
justice and chastity. Often at night he would kneel for hours before the locked
doors of churches, regardless of the hour or the inclemency of the weather. He
had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and the hymn of St. Bernard of
Clairvaux, “Omni die dic Marix mea laudes anima”, was long attributed to him.
After his death he was
venerated as a saint, because of the miracles wrought by him. Sigismund I, King
of Poland, petitioned the pope for Casimir’s canonization, and Pope Leo X
appointed the papal legate Zaccaria Ferreri, Bishop of Guardalfiera, the
Archbishop of Gnesen, and the Bishop of Przemysl to investigate the life and
miracles of Casimir.
This inquiry was
completed at Turn in 1520, and in 1522 Casimir was canonized by Adrian VI. Pope
Clement VIII named 4 March as his feast. St. Casimir is the patron of Poland
and Lithuania, though he is honored as far as Belgiumand Naples. In Poland and
Lithuania churches and chapels are dedicated to him, as at Rozana and on the
River Dzwina near Potocka, where he is said to have contributed miraculously to
a victory of the Polish army over the Russians.
In the beginning of the
17th century King Sigismund III began at Vilna the erection of a chapel in
honor of St. Casimir, which was finished under King Wladislaus IV. The building
was designed by Peter Danckerts, of the Netherlands, who also adorned the walls
with paintings illustrating the life of the saint. In this chapel is found an
old painting renovated in 1594, representing the saint with a lily in his hand.
Two other pictures of the saint are preserved, one in his life by Ferreri, and
the other in the church at Krosno in Galicia.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/saint-casimir/
Абраз
святога Казіміра. Мастацкі музей Літвы. Вільня (http://media.catholic.by/nv/n19/art1gallery.htm)
Casimir, born of kings
and in line (third among 13 children) to be a king himself, was filled with
exceptional values and learning by a great teacher, John Dlugosz. Even his
critics could not say that his conscientious objection indicated softness. Even
as a teenager, Casimir lived a highly disciplined, even severe life, sleeping
on the ground, spending a great part of the night in prayer and dedicating
himself to lifelong celibacy.
When nobles in Hungary
became dissatisfied with their king, they prevailed upon Casimir’s father, the
king of Poland, to send his son to take over the country. Casimir obeyed his
father, as many young men over the centuries have obeyed their government. The
army he was supposed to lead was clearly outnumbered by the “enemy”; some of
his troops were deserting because they were not paid. At the advice of his
officers, Casimir decided to return home.
His father was irked at
the failure of his plans, and confined his 15-year-old son for three months.
The lad made up his mind never again to become involved in the wars of his day,
and no amount of persuasion could change his mind. He returned to prayer and
study, maintaining his decision to remain celibate even under pressure to marry
the emperor’s daughter.
He reigned briefly as
king of Poland during his father’s absence. He died of lung trouble at 23 while
visiting Lithuania, of which he was also Grand Duke. He was buried in Vilnius,
Lithuania.
Comment:
For many years Poland and
Lithuania faded into the gray prison on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
Despite repression, the Poles and Lithuanians remained firm in the faith which
has become synonymous with their name. Their youthful patron reminds us: Peace
is not won by war; sometimes a comfortable peace is not even won by virtue, but
Christ’s peace can penetrate every government repression of religion.
Patron Saint of :
Lithuania, Poland, Russia
SOURCE : http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1312
obrazek z książki "Żywoty Świętych Pańskich na wszystkie dnie roku, 1910
Saint Casimir
(1458-1484)
Patron of Lithuania and The Sisters of St. Casimir
“You will be called Sisters of St. Casimir,” announced Bishop John W. Shanahan,
Bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the evening of August 28, 1907, to the
three: Casimira Kaupas, Judith Dvaranauskas, and Antanina Unguraitis who were
to receive the white veils of novices the next day. This day, August 29, would
henceforth be commemorated as Founding Day of the Sisters of Saint Casimir.
When, as a young woman, Casimira Kaupas (who would one day become Mother Maria, Foundress
of the Sisters of St. Casimir) made her pilgrimage to the renowned shrine
of Our Lady of Vilnus, she was naturally mindful of her popular patron, Saint
Casimir, whose remains were enshrined in the Cathedral of this city,
and whose deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin was universally known.
Saint Casimir (1458-1484), whose father was king of Poland and grand duke of
Lithuania, was born in Kracow in 1458. From his earliest youth, he was exceptionally
devout. Daily he spent several hours in prayer; morning and evening prayers
were a faithful observance. Often he would rise at midnight and lie prostrate
in prayer. Often, too, he was observed, even in the dead of winter, kneeling at
the threshold of the church, where he had come to adore the Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament.
The young prince also loved his neighbor, especially the poor, whom he consoled
with his gracious words, and frequently helped with generous alms. He was known
to visit the sick and served them in their needs counting it an honor as he saw
in the afflicted one the person of Christ Himself. Thus he earned the title,
“Father of the poor.”
He was zealous in his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and had vowed for the
sake of her Son, the Lord Jesus, to remain chaste. All his life he kept his
heart pure and unsullied. Through his short but virtuous life, he had kept
strict watch over his senses and appetite subjecting his body to penances and
fasting.
One cannot fail to comment on his mental acuity. The guardian and teacher of
his early youth, Dlugosas, affirms that the young Saint Casimir was highly
talented, intelligent, and of serious intent. His father had great confidence
in him desiring that eventually Casimir would become ruler of the whole land.
Saint Casimir died at the early age of 26 on March 4, 1484, a victim of
tuberculosis. Although he lived only a quarter of a century, into those 26
years he packed a lifetime of holiness and example to all the world, especially
the youth. Today he is the beloved patron of the courageous Catholics of both
Lithuania and Poland. He is also patron of youth.
He is pictured with a
crown and lily at his side and without his sword. A scroll inscribed with the
words in Latin: “Omni die dic Mariae” (“Daily, daily sing to Mary”) of his
favorite Marian hymn, is also shown.
SOURCE : http://www.ssc2601.com/about-us/our-patron/
Изображение в иезуитском (фарном) костёле Гродно, XVIII век (предположительно). Неизвестный художник. Сюжет: чудо Святого Казимира во время осады Полоцка в 1518-м году.
March 4
St. Casimir, Prince of
Poland
From his life compiled by
Zachary Ferrier, legate of Leo X., in Poland, thirty-six years after his death;
and an authentic relation of his miracles, with many circumstances of his life,
by Gregory Swiecicki, canon of Vilna; also the Commentary of Henschenius, p.
337.
A.D. 1483
ST. CASIMIR was the third
among the thirteen children of Casimer III., king of Poland, and of Elizabeth
of Austria, daughter to the emperor Albert II., a most virtuous woman, who died
in 1505. He was born in 1458, on the 5th of October. From his childhood he was
remarkably pious and devout. His preceptor was John Dugloss, called Longinus,
canon of Cracow, a man of extraordinary learning and piety, who constantly
refused all bishoprics, and other dignities of the church and state, which were
pressed upon him. Uladislas, the eldest son, was elected king of Bohemia, in
1471, and became king of Hungary in 1490. Our saint was the second son: John
Albert, the third son, succeeded the father in the kingdom of Poland in 1492; and
Alexander, the fourth son, was called to the same in 1501. Casimir and the
other princes were so affectionately attached to the holy man who was their
preceptor, that they could not bear to be separated from him. But Casimir
profited most by his pious maxims and example. He consecrated the flower of his
age to the exercises of devotion and penance, and had a horror of that softness
and magnificence which reign in courts. His clothes were very plain, and under
them he wore a hair shirt. His bed was frequently the ground, and he spent a
considerable part of the night in prayer and meditation, chiefly on the passion
of our Saviour. He often went out in the night to pray before the church-doors,
and in the morning waited before them till they were opened to assist at
matins. By living always under a sense of the divine presence he remained
perpetually united to, and absorbed in, his Creator, maintained an
uninterrupted cheerfulness of temper, and was mild and affable to all. He
respected the least ceremonies of the church: everything that tended to promote
piety was dear to him. He was particularly devout to the passion of our blessed
Saviour, the very thought of which excited him to tears, and threw him into
transports of love. He was no less piously affected towards the sacrifice of
the altar, at which he always assisted with such reverence and attention that
he seemed in raptures. And as a mark of his singular devotion to the Blessed
Virgin, he composed, or at least frequently recited, the long hymn that bears
his name, a copy of which was, by his desire, buried with him. His love for
Jesus Christ showed itself in his regard for the poor, who are his members, to
whose relief he applied whatever he had, and employed his credit with his
father, and his brother Uladislas, king of Bohemia, to procure them succour.
His compassion made him feel in himself the afflictions of every one.
The Palatines and other
nobles of Hungary, dissatisfied with Matthias Corvin, their king, son of the
great Huniados, begged the king of Poland to allow them to place his son
Casimir on the throne. The saint, not then quite fifteen years of age, was very
unwilling to consent; but in compliance with his father’s will he went, at the
head of an army of twenty thousand men, to the frontiers in 1471. There hearing
that Matthias had formed an army of sixteen thousand men to defend him, and
that all differences were accommodated between him and his people, and that
Pope Sixtus IV. had sent an embassy to divert his father from that expedition, he
joyfully returned, having with difficulty obtained his father’s consent so to
do. However, as his dropping this project was disagreeable to the king his
father, not to increase his affliction by appearing before him, he did not go
directly to Cracow, but retired to the castle of Dobzki, three miles from that
city, where he continued three months in the practice of penance. Having
learned the injustice of the attempt against the king of Hungary, in which
obedience to his father’s command prevailed upon him to embark when he was very
young, he could never be engaged to resume it by a fresh pressing invitation of
the Hungarians, or the iterated orders and entreaties of his father. The twelve
years he lived after this he spent in sanctifying himself in the same manner as
he had done before.
He observed to the last
an untainted chastity, notwithstanding the advice of physicians who excited him
to marry, imagining, upon some false principle, this to be a means necessary to
preserve his life. Being wasted with a lingering consumption, he foretold his
last hour, and having prepared himself for it by redoubling his exercises of
piety, and receiving the sacraments of the church, he made a happy end at
Vilna, the capital of Lithuania, on the 4th of March, 1482, being twenty-three
years and five months old. He was buried in the church of St. Stanislaus. So
many were the miracles wrought by his intercession, that Swiecicki, a canon of
Vilna, wrote a whole volume of them from good memoirs, in 1604. He was
canonized by Pope Leo X. whose legate in Poland, Zachary Ferrier, wrote the
saint’s life. His body and all the rich stuffs it was wrapped in, were found
quite entire, and exhaling a sweet smell, one hundred and twenty years after
his death, notwithstanding the excessive moisture of the vault. It is honoured
in a large rich chapel of marble, built on purpose in that church. St. Casimir
is the patron of Poland, and several other places, and is proposed to youth as
a particular pattern of purity. His original picture is to be seen in his
chapel in St. German des Prez in Paris, built by John Casimir, King of Poland,
the last of the family of Waza, who, renouncing his crown, retired to Paris,
and died abbot of St. Germain’s, in 1668.
What is there on earth
which can engage the affections of a Christian, or be the object of his
ambition, in whose soul God desires to establish his kingdom? Whoever has
conceived a just idea of this immense happiness and dignity, must look upon all
the glittering baubles of this world as empty and vain, and consider everything
in this life barely as it can advance or hinder the great object of all his
desires. Few arrive at this happy and glorious state, because scarcely any one
seeks it with his whole heart, and has the courage sincerely to renounce all
things and die to himself: and this precious jewel cannot be purchased upon any
other terms. The kingdom of God can only be planted in a soul upon the ruins of
self-love: so long as this reigns, it raises insuperable obstacles to the
perfect establishment of the empire of divine love. The amiable Jesus lives in
all souls which he animates by his sanctifying grace, and the Holy Ghost dwells
in all such. But in most of these how many worldly maxims and inclinations
diametrically opposite to those of our most holy heavenly king, hold their full
sway? how many secret disorders and irregular attachments are cherished? how
much is found of self-love, with which sometimes their spiritual exercises
themselves are infected?
The sovereign king of men
and their merciful Redeemer is properly said to reign only in those souls which
study effectually, and without reserve, to destroy in their affections whatever
is opposite to his divine will, to subdue all their passions, and to subject
all their powers to his holy love. Such fall not into any venial sins with full
deliberation, and wipe away those of frailty into which they are betrayed, by
the compunction and penance in which they constantly live and by the constant
attention with which they watch daily over themselves. They pray with the
utmost earnestness that God may deliver them from all the power of the enemy,
and establish in all their affections the perfect empire of his grace and love;
and to fulfil his will in the most perfect manner in all their actions, is
their most earnest desire and hearty endeavour. How bountifully does God
reward, even in this life, those who are thus liberal towards him! St. Casimir,
who had tasted of this happiness, and learned truly to value the heavenly
grace, loathed all earthly pomp and delights. With what joy ought not all
Christians, both rich and poor, to be filled when they hear: The kingdom
of God is with you! With what ardour ought they not to devote themselves
to make God reign perfectly in their hearts! How justly did St. Casimir prefer
this pursuit to all earthly kingdoms!
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume III: March. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/3/041.html
Varnių
Šv. apaštalų Petro ir Pauliaus bažnyčios vidus
Wornie -
rzymskokatolicki kościół pokatedralny św. Piotra i św. Pawła (wnętrze)
It is from a court that
we are taught today the most heroic virtues. St. Casimir is a prince; he is
surrounded by all the allurements of youth and luxury; and yet he passes
through the snares of the world with as much safety and prudence, as though he
were an angel in human form. His example shows us what we may do. The world has
not smiled on us as it did on St. Casimir; but how much we have loved it! If we
have gone so far as to make it our idol, we must now break what we have adored,
and give our service to the sovereign Lord, Who alone has a right to it. When
we read the lives of the Saints, and find that persons who were in the ordinary
walks of life practiced extraordinary virtues, we are inclined to think that
they were not exposed to great temptations, or that the misfortunes they met
with in the world made them give themselves up unreservedly to God's service.
Such interpretations of the actions of the Saints are shallow and false, for
they ignore this great fact—that there is no condition or state, however
humble, in which man has not to combat the evil inclinations of his heart, and
that corrupt nature alone is strong enough to lead him to sin. But in such a
Saint as Casimir, we have no difficulty in recognizing that all his Christian
energy was from God, and not from any natural source; and we rightly conclude
that we, who have the same good God, may well hope that this season of
spiritual regeneration will change and better us.
St. Casimir preferred
death to sin. But is not every Christian bound to be thus minded every hour of
the day? And yet, such is the infatuation produced by the pleasures or
advantages of this present life, that we every day see men plunging themselves
into sin, which is the death of the soul; and this, not for the sake of saving
the life of the body, but for a vile and transient gratification, which is
oftentimes contrary to their temporal interests. What stronger proof could
there be than this, of the sad effects produced in us by original sin? The
examples of the Saints are given us as a light to lead us in the right path—let
us follow it, and we shall be saved. Besides, we have a powerful aid in their
merits and intercession; let us take courage at the thought that these friends
of God have a most affectionate compassion for us, their brethren, who are
surrounded by so many and so great dangers.
The Church, in Her
Liturgy, thus describes to us the virtues of our young prince:
St. Casimir was the son
of Casimir, King of Poland, and of Elizabeth of Austria. He was put, when quite
young, under the care of the best masters, who trained him to piety and
learning. He brought his body into subjection by wearing a hair-shirt, and by
frequent fasting. He could not endure the soft bed which is given to kings, but
lay on the hard floor, and during the night, he used to privately leave his
room and go to the church, where, prostrate before the door, he besought God to
have mercy on him. The Passion of Christ was his favorite subject of
meditation; and when he assisted at Mass, his mind was so fixed on God, that he
seemed to be in one long ecstasy.
Great was his zeal for
the propagation of the Catholic Faith, and the suppression of the Russian
schism. He persuaded the King, his father, to pass a law forbidding the
schismatics to build new churches, or to repair those which had fallen to ruin.
Such was his charity for the poor and all sufferers, that he went under the
name of the father and defender of the poor. During his last illness, he
nobly evinced his love of purity, which virtue he had maintained unsullied
during his whole life. He was suffering a cruel malady; but he courageously
preferred to die, rather than permit the loss of his chastity, when his
physicians advised him that he could if he would only marry.
Being made perfect in a
short time, and rich in virtue and merit, after having foretold the day of his
death, he breathed forth his soul into the hands of his God, in the
twenty-fifth year of his age, surrounded by priests and religious. His body was
taken to Vilna, and was honored by many miracles. A young girl was raised to
life at his shrine; the blind recovered their sight, the lame the use of their
limbs, and the sick their health. He appeared to a small army of Lithuanians,
who were unexpectedly attacked by a large force, and gave them victory over the
enemy. Pope Leo X was induced by all these miracles to enroll him among the
Saints.
In honor of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, St. Casimir frequently recited the long Latin hymn Omni die
dic Mariae (Every day say to Mary), a copy of which was by his desire buried
with him. This hymn, part of which is familiar to us through the English
version, "Daily, daily sing to Mary," is not uncommonly called the
Hymn of St. Casimir, but it was most likely composed by St. Bernard.
The nobles of Hungary,
dissatisfied with their king, Matthias Corvinus, in 1471 begged the King of
Poland to allow them to place his son Casimir on the throne. The Saint, at that
time not fifteen years old, was very unwilling to consent, but in obedience to
his father he went to the frontier at the head of an army. There, hearing that
Matthias had himself assembled a large body of troops, and finding that his own
soldiers were deserting in large numbers because they could not get their pay,
he decided upon the advice of his officers to return home. The knowledge that
Pope Sixtus IV had sent an embassy to his father to deter him from the
expedition made the young prince carry out his resolution with the firmer
conviction that he was acting rightly. King Casimir, however, was greatly
incensed at the failure of his ambitious projects and would not permit his son
to return to Cracow, but relegated him to the castle of Dobzki. The young man
obeyed and remained in confinement there for three months. Convinced of the injustice
of the war upon which he had so nearly embarked, and determined to have no
further part in these internecine conflicts which only facilitated the further
progress into Europe of the Turks, St. Casimir could never again be persuaded
to take up arms though urged to do so by his father and invited once more by
the disaffected Hungarian magnates. He returned to his studies and his prayers,
though for a time he was viceroy in Poland during an absence of his father. An
attempt was made to induce him to marry a daughter of the Emperor Frederick
III, but he refused to relax the celibacy he had imposed on himself.
Enjoy thy well-earned
rest in Heaven, O St. Casimir! Neither the world with all its riches, nor the
court with all its pleasures, could distract thy heart from the eternal joys it
alone coveted and loved. Thy life was short, but full of merit. The remembrance
of Heaven made thee forget the earth. God yielded to thee the impatience of thy
desire to be with Him, and took thee speedily from among men. Thy life, though
most innocent, was one of penance, for knowing the evil tendencies of corrupt
nature, thou didst have a dread of a life of comfort. When shall we be made to
understand that penance is a debt we owe to God, a debt of expiation for the
sins we have committed against Him? Thou didst prefer death to sin; obtain for
us a fear of sin, that greatest of all the evils that can befall us, because it
is an evil which strikes at God Himself. Pray for us during this holy season,
which is intended as a preparation for penance; impress our minds with the
truths now put before us during this Liturgical Season. The Christian world is
honoring thee today; repay its homage by thy blessing. Poland, thy fatherland,
once the bulwark of the Church, which kept back the invasion of schism, heresy
and infidelity, is now in great need of thy prayers.
SOURCE : http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-171/Casimir.htm
Абраз
святога Казіміра. XVІII ст. Маладзечанскі раён, XVIIIs. (http://media.catholic.by/nv/n19/art1gallery.htm)
March 4
ST CASIMIR OF POLAND
(A.D. 1484)
ST CASIMIR, to whom the
Poles gave the title of "The Peace-maker", was the third of the
thirteen children of Casimir IV, King of Poland, and of Elizabeth of Austria,
daughter of the Emperor Albert II. Casimir was the second son; he and his two
brothers, Ladislaus and John, had as their tutor John Dlugosz, the historian, a
canon of Cracow and a man of extraordinary learning and piety. All the princes
were warmly attached to the holy man, but Casimir profited the most by his
teaching and example. Devout from his infancy, the boy gave himself up to
devotion and penance, and had a horror of anything approaching softness or
sel-findulgence. His bed was often the ground, and he was wont to spend a great
part of the night in prayer and meditation, chiefly on the passion of our
Saviour. His clothes were plain, and under them he wore a hairshirt. Living
always in the presence of God he was invariably serene and cheerful, and
pleasant to all. The saint's love of God showed itself in his love of the poor
who are Christ's members, and for the relief of these the young prince gave all
he possessed, using in their behalf the influence he had with his father and
with his brother Ladislaus when he became king of Bohemia. In honour of the
Blessed Virgin Mary Casimir frequently recited the long Latin hymn "Omni
die dic Mariae", a copy of which was by his desire buried with him. This
hymn, part of which is familiar to us through Bittleston's version,
"Daily, daily sing to Mary", is not uncommonly called the Hymn of St
Casimir, but it was certainly not composed by him; it is three centuries older
than his time.
The nobles of Hungary,
dissatisfied with their king, Matthias Corvinus, in 1471 begged the King of
Poland to allow them to place his son Casimir on the throne. The saint, at that
time not fifteen years old, was very unwilling to consent, but in obedience to
his father he went to the frontier at the head of an army. There, hearing that
Matthias had himself assembled a large body of troops, and withal finding that
his own soldiers were deserting in large numbers because they could not get
their pay, he decided upon the advice of his officers to return home. The
knowledge that Pope Sixtus IV had sent an embassy to his father to deter him
from the expedition made the young prince carry out his resolution with the
firmer conviction that he was acting rightly. King Casimir, however, was
greatly incensed at the failure of his ambitious projects and would not permit
his son to return to Cracow, but relegated him to the castle of Dobzki. The
young man obeyed and remained in confinement there for three months. Convinced
of the injustice of the war upon which he had so nearly embarked, and
determined to have no further part in these internecine conflicts which only
facilitated the further progress into Europe of the Turks, St Casimir could
never again be persuaded to take up arms though urged to do so by his father
and invited once more by the disaffected Hungarian magnates. He returned to his
studies and his prayers, though for a time he was viceroy in Poland during an
absence of his father. An attempt was made to induce him to marry a daughter of
the Emperor Frederick III, but he refused to relax the celibacy he had imposed
on himself.
St Casimir's austerities did nothing to help the lung trouble from which he
suffered, and he died at the age of twentythree in 1484 and was buried at
Vilna, where his relics still rest in the church of St Stanislaus. Miracles
were reported at his tomb, and he was canonized in 1521.
A Latin life of St Casimir by Zachary Ferreri was printed at Cracow in 1521 and
has been reproduced in the Acta Sanctorum, March, vol. i, and there is also a
biography by Prileszky in the Acta Sanctorum Hungariae (1743), vol. i, pp.
121-132. A popular account in German is that of Felix Iózefowicz, Der heilige
Kasimir, commending the saint as a patron for young students. In the article
devoted to St Casimir in the Catholic Encyclopedia, Prof. L. Abraham gives
references to several works in Polish of more modern date. Casimir is sometimes
referred to as king of Poland and Hungary, though he never occupied the throne
of either country. The fact that he is accorded apparently only one line in the
Cambridge History of Poland, vol. i (1950) shows perhaps how little impression
he made in secular affairs. The so-called Hymn of St Casimir forms one division
of the great Mariale, a remarkable rhyming Latin lyric of the twelfth century,
which has been attributed both to St Anselm and to St Bernard of Clairvaux. The
true author is probably Bernard of Morlaix, or Cluny. Casimir's love of these
verses is a testimony at once to his good literary taste and to his devotion to
the Mother of God. At a time when certain enthusiastic sympathizers with Polish
aspirations were eager to claim the Omni die dic Mariae as a sort of national
anthem, a book was brought out which printed the text of the hymn along with
translations in various modern languages in the metre of the original. When a
second edition was in contemplation, Cardinal Wiseman was invited to contribute
an English version of this hymn. His rendering was afterwards published separately,
with a musical setting, but it is now little known.
SOURCE : http://www.katolikus.hu/hun-saints/casimir.html
Абраз
святога Казіміра. XVІII ст. Нясвіж. XVIIIs (http://media.catholic.by/nv/n19/art1gallery.htm)
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints – Saint Casimer, King
Article
Casimir, the second son
of Casimir III, King of Poland, was born A.D. 1458. From the custody of a most
virtuous mother, Elizabeth of Austria, he passed to the guardianship of a
devoted master, the learned and pious John Dugloss. Thus animated from his earliest
years by precept and example, his innocence and piety soon ripened into the
practice of heroic virtue. At the age of twenty-five, sick of a lingering
illness, he foretold the hour of his death, and chose to die a virgin rather
than take the life and health which the doctors held out to him in the married
state. In an atmosphere of luxury and magnificence the young prince had fasted,
worn a hair shirt, slept upon the bare earth, prayed by night, and watched for
the opening of the church doors at dawn. He had become so tenderly devoted to
the Passion of Our Lord, that at Mass he seemed quite rapt out of himself, and
his charity to the poor and afflicted knew no bounds. His love for our Blessed
Lady he expressed in a long and beautiful hymn, familiar to us in our own
tongue. The miracles wrought by his body after death fill a volume. The blind
saw, the lame walked, the sick were healed, a dead girl was raised to life. And
once the Saint in glory led his countrymen to battle, and delivered them by a
glorious victory from the schismatic Russian hosts. One hundred and twenty-two
years after his death the Saint’s tomb in the cathedral of Vienna was opened,
that the holy body might be transferred to the rich marble chapel where it now
lies. The place was damp, and the very’ vault crumbled away in the hands of the
workmen; yet the Saint’s body, wrapt in robes of silk, was found whole and
incorrupt, and emitted a sweet fragrance, which filled the church and refreshed
all who were present. Under his head was found his hymn to Our Lady, which he
had had buried with him. The following night three young men saw a brilliant
light issuing from the open tomb and streaming through the windows of the
chapel.
Reflection – Let the
study of Saint Casimir’s life make us increase in devotion to the most pure
Mother of God, a sure means of preserving holy purity.
MLA
Citation
John Dawson Gilmary Shea.
“Saint Casimer, King”. Pictorial Lives of the
Saints, 1889. CatholicSaints.Info.
1 February 2014. Web. 4 March 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-casimer-king/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-casimer-king/
San Casimiro Principe
polacco
- Memoria Facoltativa
Cracovia, Polonia, 3
ottobre 1458 – Grodno, Lituania, 4 marzo 1484
Nasce a Cracovia, nel
1458. Figlio del re di Polonia, appartenente alla dinastia degli Jagelloni, di
origine lituana. Quando gli Ungheresi si ribellarono al loro re, Mattia
Corvino, e offrirono al tredicenne principe Casimiro la corona, questi vi
rinunciò appena seppe che il papa si era dichiarato contrario alla deposizione
del regnante. Impegnato in una politica di espansione, re Casimiro IV
(1440-1492) diede al terzogenito l'incarico di reggente di Polonia e il
principe, minato dalla tubercolosi, svolse il compito senza lasciarsi irretire
dalle seduzioni del potere. Non si piegò alle ragioni di Stato quando gli venne
proposto dal padre il matrimonio con la figlia di Federico III, per allargare i
già estesi confini del regno. Il principe Casimiro non voleva venir meno al suo
ideale ascetico di purezza per vantaggi materiali cui non ambiva. Di
straordinaria bellezza, ammirato e corteggiato, Casimiro aveva riservato il suo
cuore alla Vergine. Si spegne a 25 anni a Grodno (in Lituania) il 4 marzo 1484.
Nel 1521 papa Leone X lo dichiarò patrono della Polonia e della Lituania. (Avvenire)
Patronato: Polonia e
Lituania
Etimologia: Casimiro =
che vuole la pace, dal polacco
Emblema: Corona, Giglio,
Pergamena
Martirologio Romano: San
Casimiro, figlio del re di Polonia, che, principe, rifulse per lo zelo nella
fede, la castità, la penitenza, la generosità verso i poveri e la devozione
verso l’Eucaristia e la beata Vergine Maria e ancora giovane, consunto dalla
tisi, nella città di Grodno presso Vilnius in Lituania si addormentò nella
grazia del Signore.
Il principe Casimiro, soprannominato dai suoi compatrioti “uomo di pace”, nacque a Cracovia il 3 ottobre 1458, terzo dei tredici figli di Casimiro IV, re di Polonia, e di Elisabetta d’Austria, figlia dell’imperatore Alberto II. Il matrimonio tra i due, rivelatasi un’unione felice oltre che fertile, era stato combinato con l’aiuto di Giovanni Dlugosz, storiografo e canonico di Cracovia, religioso schivo ma di grande erudizione e santità. Proprio a lui fu dunque affidata l’educazione di Casimiro quando questi raggiunse l’età di nove anni ed il sacerdote si rivelò un ottimo insegnante, severo al punto giusto, quasi un secondo padre per il piccolo principe.
Non ancora quindicenne, in seguito alla richiesta da parte della nobiltà ungherese, il padre inviò Casimiro a guidare un esercitò contro il sovrano ungherese, Mattia Corvino. Quando però Casimiro venne a sapere che Mattia disponeva di truppe ben più numerose delle sue e si rese conto di essere stato abbandonato sia dalla nobiltà ungherese che in un primo tempo aveva richiesto il suo intervento, ma anche dalle proprie truppe in diserzione, accolse favorevolmente il consiglio dei suoi ufficiali ed interruppe la spedizione.
Intanto il pontefice Sisto IV, temendo forse che la guerra rischiasse solo di favorire la causa turca, aveva inoltrato un appello di desistenza al sovrano polacco. Il re, dimostratosi disponibile ad un colloquio di pace, inviò un messaggero al figlio, che però con sua grande vergogna scoprì già ritiratosi. Per castigo fu vietato a Casimiro di fare ritorno a Cracovia e venne rinchiuso per tre mesi nel castello di Dobzki. Nonostante le pressioni del padre e le nuove richieste da parte dei nobili magiari, Casimiro non si lasciò mai più persuadere ad abbracciare le armi.
Pare che il giovane principe non ambisse a posizioni di governo e preferiva piuttosto attivarsi in favore dei poveri, degli oppressi, dei pellegrini e dei prigionieri. Era solito infatti denunciare al re suo padre tutte le ingiustizie nei confronti dei poveri ed ogni loro necessità di cui veniva a conoscenza. Grande gioia provò quando decise di dovare tutti i suoi beni ai bisognosi, che presero a definirlo “difensore dei poveri”.
La sua vita fu da allora più monastica che principesca, il suo carattere mite ed umile lo spinse ad occuparsi più della Chiesa che della vita di corte. Trascorreva infatti gran parte del suo tempo in chiesa, tra preghiera personale e funzioni liturgiche, spesso dimenticandosi addirittura di mangiare, e di notte tornava a pregare dinnanzi ai portoni chiusi della chiesa. Solitamente gentile con tutti, fu però duro contro gli sismatici: proprio dietro sua insistenza il padre vietò il restauro delle chiese ove essi erano soliti riunirsi. Grande devoto della Madonna, nella sua bara fu posta una copia del suo inno preferito: “Omni die dic Marie”.
Nessuno riuscì a convincerlo a convolare a nozze con la promessa sposa, una figlia di San Ferdinando III di Castiglia. Egli sosteneva di non conoscere altra salvezza se non in Cristo e profetizzava la sua vicina scomparsa per stare con Lui in eterno. Casimiro morì infatti di tubercolosi, a soli ventisei anni, il 4 marzo 1484 a Grodno. Le sue spoglie trovarono sepoltura nella cattedrale di Vilnius, odierna capitale lituana, ove ancora oggi sono venerate.
Sulla sua tomba si verificarono moltissimi miracoli ed il re Sigismondo decise di inoltrare al papa Leone X una petizione per richiedere la canonizzazione del principe polacco. Nel 1521 tale papa dichiarò San Casimiro patrono della Polonia e della Lituania, ma fu ufficialmente canonizzato solo nel 1602 dal pontefice Clemente VIII e nel 1621 la sua festa venne estesa alla Chiesa universale. Il clto del santo è rimasto assai vivo anche tra i polacchi ed i lituani emigrati in America.
Vasta è l’iconografia di questo santo polacco: celebre è il suo ritratto
eseguito da Carlo Dolci e molti altri dipinti lo raffigurano con in mano una
pergamena, riportante alcune parole del suo inno mariano prediletto, ed un
giglio, simbolo di castità. San Casimiro è infatti particolarmente invocato
contro le tentazioni carnali.
Dalla "Vita di san Casimiro", scritta da un autore quasi
contemporaneo.
La carità quasi incredibile, certamente non simulata ma sincera, di cui ardeva
verso Dio onnipotente per opera di quello Spirito divino, era talmente diffusa
nel cuore di Casimiro, tanto traboccava e dalle profondità del cuore tanto si
riversava sul prossimo, che nulla gli era più gradito, nulla più desiderato che
donare ai poveri di Cristo, ai pellegrini, ai malati, ai prigionieri, ai
perseguitati non solo i propri beni, ma tutto se stesso.
Per le vedove, gli orfani, gli oppressi fu non solo un protettore, non solo un difensore, ma un padre, un figlio, un fratello. E qui sarebbe necessario scrivere una lunga storia se si volessero descrivere i singoli atti di carità e di grande amore che in lui fiorirono verso Dio e verso gli uomini. In che misura poi egli praticò la giustizia e abbracciò la temperanza, di quanta prudenza fu dotato e da quale fortezza e costanza d'animo fu sostenuto, soprattutto in quell'età più libera nella quale gli uomini di solito sono più sconsiderati e per natura più inclini al male, é difficile dire o pensare.
Ogni giorno persuadeva il padre a praticare la giustizia nel governo del regno e dei popoli a lui sottomessi. E mai tralasciò di riprendere con umiltà il re se talvolta, per incuria o per debolezza umana, qualcosa veniva trascurato nel governo. Difendeva ed abbracciava come sue le cause dei poveri e dei miserabili, per cui dal popolo veniva chiamato difensore dei poveri. E benché fosse figlio del re e nobile per la dignità della nascita, mai si mostrava superiore nel tratto e nella conversazione con qualsiasi persona, per quanto umile e di bassa condizione. Volle sempre essere considerato fra i miti ed i poveri di spirito, ai quali appartiene il regno dei cieli, piuttosto che fra i potenti e i grandi di questo secolo. Non desiderò il supremo potere, né mai lo volle accettare quando gli fu offerto dal padre, temendo che il suo animo fosse ferito dagli stimoli delle ricchezze, che il nostro Signore Gesù Cristo ha chiamato spine, o fosse contaminato dal contagio delle cose terrene.
Tutti i suoi domestici e segretari, uomini insigni e ottimi, dei quali alcuni
sono ancora viventi e che lo conobbero intimamente, asseriscono e testimoniano
che egli visse vergine fino alla fine e vergine chiuse il suo ultimo
giorno.(Cap. 2-3; Acta Sanctorum Martii 1, 347-348)
ORAZIONE
O Dio onnipotente, che chiami a servirti per regnare con te,
fa’ che per intercessione di San Casimiro
viviamo costantemente al tuo servizio
nella santità e nella giustizia.
Per il nostro Signore Gesù Cristo, tuo Figlio, che è Dio,
e vive e regna con te, nell’unità dello Spirito Santo,
per tutti i secoli dei secoli. Amen.
Autore: Fabio Arduino
Voir aussi : http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=33
Chapel of Saint Casimir, Vilnius Cathedral
4 de marzo
SAN CASIMIRO, REY
(† 1484)
Cuando nació San
Casimiro el día 3 de octubre de 1458 en el castillo de Wawel, en Cracovia,
habían pasado setenta y dos años desde que su abuelo, el célebre Jaguelón, gran
duque de Lituania, se posesionara del trono de Polonia con el nombre de
Ladislao II. Amenazados continuamente por los asaltos de los caballeros de la
orden teutónica y por las incursiones de los tártaros y los rusos, lituanos y
polacos, aunque tan dispares en lengua y estirpe, habían resuelto, al fin, unir
su suerte creando una federación o "república", como entonces se
decía, la cual sería regida por un jefe único, pero conservando ambos estados
sus derechos y sus prerrogativas, con ejército, parlamento y cargas civiles
propias.
Jaguelón solamente tuvo
hijos de su cuarta espesa, la princesa lituana Sofía de Alsenai; entre éstos se
encontraba el padre de nuestro Santo, llamado también Casimiro, que fue desde
1440 gran duque de Lituania v desde 1447 rey también de Polonia. Casó con la
princesa austríaca Isabel de Habsburgo, de la cual tuvo trece hijos, siendo el
segundo San Casimiro.
Las familias numerosas
son consideradas en los salmos como una bendición: "Tus hijos, como
retoños de olivo alrededor de tu mesa". Y a menudo los santos han salido
de estas familias con mucha prole; y en la actualidad demuestran las
estadísticas que de estas familias salen las mejores vocaciones religiosas y
sacerdotales.
Volviendo a nuestro Santo
hemos de decir que, como sus hermanos y hermanas, tuvo una educación sólida y
profundamente cristiana.
Por lo que toca a su
madre no puede dudarse. Era una de las princesas más piadosas de su siglo.
Pero, además, tenemos un testimonio excepcional. Una carta de la propia Isabel
de Habsburgo, escrita en 1502 a su hijo Ladislao, rey de Bohemia y Hungría, en
la cual describe minuciosamente cómo deben los padres educar a sus propios
hijos. Y sin duda que los sabios consejos que da la madre son sencillamente la
exposición de su experiencia personal.
A esta labor básica e
insustituible de los padres se juntó la obra de excelentes maestros.
En primer lugar, la del
humanista polaco Juan Dlugosz, conocido entre los contemporáneos con el nombre
latinizado de Joannes Longinus senior. Fue canónigo de Cracovia y
consejero del obispo y por su defensa de los derechos de la Santa Sede mereció
el destierro, que pronto le levantó el rey Casimiro para encargarle de la
educación de sus hijos. Rechazó el arzobispado de Praga y posteriormente aceptó
el de Lemberg, en 1479, muriendo antes de ser consagrado. Su fama literaria le
viene de haber escrito una Historia polónica, en que hermana sabiamente el amor
a la patria y a la religión. Pero haber sido preceptor de San Casimiro le sigue
mereciendo mayores citaciones y probablemente también mayor gloria en el cielo.
Con él compartió la grave
responsabilidad de educar a los príncipes el humanista italiano Filippo
Bonaccorsi, llamado "Calímaco". En los tiempos de Pío II llegó a ser
miembro de la célebre Academia Romana; pero a la muerte del papa Piccolómini,
sospechoso de haber tomado parte en la conjuración contra Paulo II, hubo de
huir de Roma y refugiarse en el extranjero. Fue bien acogido en la corte
polaca, al servicio de la cual perduró treinta años. Calímaco debió enseñar a
sus regios discípulos el latín y la retórica y para San Casimiro tuvo el
preceptor italiano una frase que lo canonizaba en vida, pues le llamaba divus
adolescens, joven divinizado. Opinión que concuerda con la del propio Dlugosz,
que le definió como "mancebo maravilloso, de raras dotes y espléndida
instrucción".
Claro está que ni los
cuidados exquisitos de sus padres ni la competencia de sus maestros alcanzaran
gran cosa si el príncipe Casimiro no hubiera correspondido generosamente a la
gracia. Porque sus otros hermanos, a pesar de haber recibido la misma educación
y criarse en circunstancias semejantes, no sólo no llegaron a su mismo grado de
perfección, sino que su vida dejó bastante que desear en cuanto a ejemplaridad
cristiana.
El primer biógrafo del
Santo fue otro humanista italiano, enviado a Polonia por León X, a los pocos
años de su muerte, con el fin de que recopilara los datos para su vida, por ser
tan general la fama de su santidad. Zacarías Ferreri nos describe en la vida de
San Casimiro, en un latín de corte clásico, sus virtudes eminentes. Nos habla
de su piedad, de su mortificación, de las tres virtudes teologales, fe,
esperanza y caridad, y de las cuatro cardinales, prudencia, justicia, fortaleza
y templanza... Hemos de confesar que tal enumeración de virtudes se nos antoja
un tanto convencional. Ferreri hizo el esquema y después lo fue aplicando al
piadoso príncipe. Pero lo cierto es que los hechos revelan un alma de santidad
no común.
El continuo esfuerzo del
jovencito de agradar a Dios y estar siempre unido a él denotaba una conducta
muy por encima de lo ordinario. Para domar su cuerpo y evadir los peligros de
la corte renacentista, tan poco propicia a la abnegación, se ejercitaba en las
mortificaciones más austeras. Usaba cilicio, se azotaba con disciplinas,
practicaba el ayuno corporal, dormía en la dura tierra...
De la mortificación de
los sentidos no hay que decir. Ni los vestidos ricos, ni los regalos de
palacio, ni los pasatiempos frívolos, ni las fiestas mundanas conseguían
atraerle. No podía concebirse mayor inocencia, mayor compostura, mayor devoción
en tan tierna edad, En el templo, sobre todo, sobrecogía por su actitud piadosa
y recogida, olvidado de todo y arrebatado a Dios.
Principalmente fue devoto
de la pasión de Cristo.
A lo largo de toda la
Edad Media las almas religiosas habían ido penetrando en el misterio insondable
de la redención, y una ascética pujante llevaba a los espíritus a conformarse
con Cristo crucificado.
Del hieratismo de los
crucifijos bizantinos se pasó a la humanización del arte gótico. Fue una exaltación
continua de los sufrimientos del Salvador, que llega a su ápice en las tablas
de los maestros flamencos y de los primitivos italianos.
Las cruzadas primero y
las peregrinaciones después fomentaron el mismo sentimiento de devoción a
Cristo crucificado. Los grandes místicos medievales, Santa Matilde, Santa
Brígida, Santa Catalina de Siena, San Francisco de Asís, crucifijo viviente,
adornado de los sagrados estigmas, Ruysbroeck, con los místicos alemanes y más
cercanos a nuestro santo, Gerardo Groot y los religiosos de Windesheim... todos
exaltan la meditación sobre temas de la pasión de Cristo.
Nuestro joven príncipe se
abismaba en la contemplación del Crucificado, y al oír hablar de los dolores y
agonías que se le presentaron al Redentor en el huerto, de los escarnios que
padeció en el atrio de los sumos sacerdotes, de las befas y ludibrios de la
flagelación y la coronación de espinas, así como de las caídas del terrible
itinerario y de la crucifixión y muerte a la hora de nona, las lágrimas
brotaban de sus ojos compasivos y el corazón se le desmayaba en deliquios
amorosos.
Embebido en pensamientos
tan divinos, ninguna otra cosa le apetecía, y por su gusto todo su tiempo lo
pasara en oración tan sabrosa.
Y no siendo esto posible,
por los deberes ineluctables de su alto rango, aprovechaba las noches para tan
piadosa ocupación y para visitar las iglesias, pues tan grande como su piedad
hacia la pasión de Cristo era su amor al Santísimo Sacramento.
Y como no puede haber
amor divino sin caridad para con el prójimo, San Casimiro socorría a manos
llenas a los necesitados, amparaba a los débiles, ejercitaba su influencia en
favor de los oprimidos, de los prisioneros, de los enfermos y angustiados. Vida
tan santa resulta más admirable en una corte del cuatrocientos, en un ambiente
poco propicio a la abnegación y a la virtud.
Esta santidad del
príncipe Casimiro nos la atestigua su propia madre, en carta que escribe a su
hijo primogénito Ladislao. En ella le recuerda el ejemplo edificante de su
hermano, como digno de toda imitación. Le presenta como un hombre ocupado
singularmente en las cosas divinas, que buscaba en todo la verdad, concluyendo
que su memoria perdura a través de los siglos. Expresiones de este género en la
carta de una madre que escribe al hijo que ha sido compañero de juego y testigo
de la vida cotidiana de su mismo hermano, deben asentarse en la sólida
realidad.
Pero no concluyamos de
aquí que Casimiro, entregado a sus devociones, se desentendiese de sus
obligaciones de príncipe o rehuyese el trato social.
La historia nos lo
presenta como un muchacho alegre y emprendedor, de extraordinarias cualidades
para el estudio, sumamente despierto. A los trece años tuvo un breve discurso
latino en presencia del legado pontificio, el cardenal Marco Barbo. Dos años
más tarde saludaba igualmente en latín al embajador veneciano Ambrosio
Contarini.
Pero lo más admirable es
la campaña, que emprendió el 2 de octubre de 1471, a los trece años, para la
conquista del reino de Hungría.
Los nobles húngaros,
cansados del gobierno irregular de Matías Corvino, hicieron gestiones ante el
rey de Polonia para que les enviase al joven Casimiro, al cual no faltaban
títulos dinásticos por parte de su madre para aspirar a la corona de San
Esteban. Al último momento no prevaleció su candidatura, porque Sixto IV
intervino para poner paz entre Matías y sus vasallos, y porque el peligro turco
aconsejaba no fomentar disensiones entre los reyes cristianos.
Sin embargo, San Casimiro
continuó titulándose "señor natural por derecho de nacimiento del reino de
Hungría", y no perdió las esperanzas de ocupar en la ocasión propicia
aquel trono; si bien nunca llegó a realizarse aquel proyecto, que nos habla de
las legítimas aspiraciones del valiente príncipe.
Lo que hizo fue asociarse
al gobierno paterno, y desde los diecisiete años le encontramos continuamente
en viaje, ya con su padre, ya haciendo de lugarteniente suyo cuando se
ausentaba.
Así fue como en 1475 se
acercó por vez primera a Lituania, a la que tan profundo afecto profesaba su
padre, que, después de haber sido por siete años gran duque de aquella
provincia, no consintió en ocupar el trono de Polonia sin asegurarse primero
que podría conservar íntegramente sus derechos al ducado de Lituania y la libertad
de movimiento para acudir a la misma siempre que lo desease. Desde entonces su
hijo, todos los años, pasaba largos períodos de tiempo en Lituania. En 1483,
estando en Vilna, se ocupó de la administración del gran ducado.
Por aquella fecha su
padre manifestó su voluntad de que contrajese matrimonio con una hija del
emperador Federico III. Los cronistas contemporáneos nos refieren que el rey
intentaba la boda de su hijo por razones de estado, pero, además, porque según
el dictamen de los médicos palatinos, la salud vacilante del príncipe, que por
entonces había contraído la tuberculosis, padecería grave riesgo si no se
casaba.
Este peregrino consejo de
los doctores, que juzgaban ser la vida austera y continente del Santo la causa
de su mal, no tuvo efecto, pues él prefirió ser fiel a su voto de castidad,
aunque ello le acarrease la muerte.
Efectivamente, la
enfermedad se agravó y el Santo moría de tisis el día 4 de marzo de 1484, a los
veinticuatro años de edad, como otros santos que tanto se le parecen: San Luís
Gonzaga, San Gabriel de la Dolorosa, Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús.
Que su muerte fue
edificante nos lo abona la santidad de su vida, pero también el hecho de que
supo esperarla serenamente, habiendo recibido los santos sacramentos, y con sus
ojos clavados en la imagen del crucifijo e invocando a su dama, la Virgen
María. Testigos hubo que aseguraron haber visto su alma, llena de gran
claridad, ascender hasta el cielo, donde era recibida por los coros de los
ángeles.
Murió en Gardinas
(Grodno), pero su cuerpo fue enterrado en la catedral de Vilna, capital de
Lituania, en la capilla de Nuestra Señora, lugar escogido por el santo doncel
para ser fiel hasta la muerte a tan buena madre.
Cuando ciento veinte años
después, en 1604, fue abierta su sepultura para el reconocimiento de sus
reliquias, fue hallado entero y sin corrupción su sagrado cuerpo, así como sus
vestidos, a pesar de la humedad del enterramiento. Y sobre el pecho del Santo
se encontró una copia del himno latino Omni die dic Mariae meae laudes
animae. No contento con haberlo rezado diariamente, para demostrar así su
devoción a la Virgen, quiso el Santo llevarlo consigo al sepulcro. Este himno
se compone de sesenta estrofas rimadas, de seis versos cada una:
Cada día,
alma mía,
di a María
alabanzas.
A sus fiestas,
a sus gestas,
tú les prestas
culto y prez.
Durante mucho tiempo se
creyó que el propio San Casimiro había sido el autor de este himno que el
juglar de la Virgen cantaba en las iglesias de Cracovia ante sus imágenes. Mas
la crítica moderna ha demostrado que se trata de una composición medieval, más de
cien años anterior, que algunos atribuyen a San Anselmo de Cantorbery. Con
todo, queda el hecho de que el Santo fue quien la propagó, y a su gran devoción
mariana se debe el que no se perdiera. Por eso hicieron muy bien los monjes de
Montserrat, en la reciente decoración del camarín de la Virgen morenita, el
poner la efigie de San Casimiro entre los amantes de María, pronunciando las
estrofas del Omni die.
Entre las virtudes de San
Casimiro hay que mencionar su celo por promover la fe católica. Tal vez no sea
del todo exacta la noticia de las lecciones del segundo nocturno del breviario,
donde se dice que consiguió de su padre una ley prohibiendo a los cismáticos
rutenos levantar nuevas iglesias o reparar las ruinosas. Esta prohibición
estaba ya en vigor cincuenta años antes, desde los tiempos de su abuelo; lo que
sí hizo el joven príncipe fue favorecer por todos los medios la extensión del
catolicismo y luchar decididamente contra las herejías y movimientos
subversivos que en el siglo XV, época de hussitas y wiclefitas, tenían en
conmoción al centro de Europa.
Este joven, dulce y
amable, es para lituanos y polacos un santo guerrero, algo así como un Santiago
del Este, que hace cara a las embestidas moscovitas.
El padre Sarbieswski,
famoso latinista, celebró en versos de corte clásico las dos victorias
milagrosas que el débil ejército lituano reportó de los rusos en 1518 junto a
Polock, y posteriormente en 1654, cuando el general Seremetieff avanzaba con el
intento de invadir el gran ducado. San Casimiro se aparece cabalgando un corcel
blanco como la nieve y vestido de roja púrpura, dando a los suyos el triunfo.
La canonización de San
Casimiro se fija el año 1521, habiendo compuesto su oficio litúrgico el propio
Ferreri, su primer biógrafo. Su culto se extendió con rapidez por su tierra
natal, congregándose el 4 de marzo millares de fieles junto a su tumba en
Vilna. Desde el siglo XVIII se tiene en esta ciudad la mayor feria del año,
llamada "kaziukes", corrupción popular de Casimiro. En tal ocasión se
vendían hierbas medicinales y golosinas en forma de corazón. De manera tan
ingenua la gente sencilla pone bajo la protección de San Casimiro la salud de
los enfermos y el amor de los novios.
Los campesinos polacos y
lituanos acostumbran a colocar estatuillas de madera del Santo para guardas de
sus heredades, y son muchas las poblaciones que han puesto su imagen en los
cuarteles de su escudo.
La opresión de la época
zarista sobre Lituania y Polonia y después el comunismo soviético han obligado
a la emigración a masas enormes de los habitantes de ambos países, lo que ha
contribuido a extender por todo el mundo el culto a San Casimiro. En Estados
Unidos, en Canadá, en Argentina, Venezuela y aun en Australia hay muchas
parroquias, instituciones, organizaciones y círculos de juventudes puestos bajo
la protección del glorioso Santo. El arzobispo metropolita monseñor Skvireckas
alcanzó en 1943 de Pío XII que San Casimiro fuese proclamado patrón principal
de la juventud lituana, "en cualquier parte del mundo que se encuentre".
Bien lo necesita el
martirizado pueblo lituano. Y San Casimiro no abandona a los suyos. Precisamente,
en mayo de 1953 los soviéticos convirtieron la catedral de Vilna y la capilla
donde reposaban sus reliquias en museo antirreligioso. Hubo que transportar
aquellos restos sagrados a un lugar más modesto, a una parroquia de los
suburbios de la capital. Así, en esta hora de prueba, el Santo duque de
Lituania vuelve en medio de sus hijos más humildes para sostener su fe y su
esperanza.
CASIMIRO SÁNCHEZ ALISEDA
SOURCE : https://www.mercaba.org/SANTORAL/Vida/01/03-04_S_casimiro.htm
