Gaudentius of Gniezno, St.

views updated

GAUDENTIUS OF GNIEZNO, ST.

First metropolitan of Gniezno, younger brother of St. adalbert; b. c. 96070; d. c. 100611. Having joined the benedictine order in Rome in 988, he was later ordained priest there. About 996 he accompanied Adalbert on his missionary journey into Prussia, where he witnessed Adalbert's martyrdom. When Gaudentius returned to Rome for his brother's canonization process, the matter of the first archbishopric for Poland came to the fore. In late 999 he was consecrated with the title archiepiscopus sancti Adalberti martyris. The following March, papal legates enthroned him as archbishop in Gniezno in the presence of Emperor otto iii and King Boleslaw Chrobry. Details of his episcopal activity are vague. His relics were translated to Prague in 1039. His cultus is immemorial, but without formal ratification.

Feast: Jan. 5, Aug. 25.

Bibliography: g. labuda, in Polski Slownik Biograficzny,v.7 (Cracow 1949) 308309. f. dvornik, The Making of Central and Eastern Europe (London 1949) 101105, 143144. z. szostkiewicz, "Katalog Biskupów obrz. lac. Przedrozbiorowej Polski," Sacrum Poloniae Millennium 1 (1954) 450. w. meysztowicz, "Koronacje Pierwszych Piastów," ibid. 3 (1956) 294.

[l. siekaniec]