PEREGRINUS CRACOVIENSIS Zeszyt 3, 1996 ISBN 83−904441−5−1 / ISSN 1425−1922

Franciszek Ziejka

Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route

1. At the feet of Saint Mary n January 4, 1842 , lecturing at the College de France described Jasna Góra as: “a famous place, known to all Slavs as the O destination of their pilgrimages, similar to Casa Santa of Loretto.”1 . Facts confirm the accuracy of these words. For more than six centuries now, one has observed a continuous flow of pilgrims on all roads leading to Częstochowa. The faithful from all over as well as many other countries hurry there. Among them one can see the sick and the poor, children and students, miners and scholars, farmers and politicians. For centuries , Czechs, Moravians, Slovaks, Hungarians, Croatians, Lithuanians and Russians have hastened there to meet at the foot of Saint Mary’s throne. The pilgrimages of Polish kings to Jasna Góra was one of the most beautiful Polish traditions dating back to the very first years of the Icon of the Mother of God’s presence in Częstochowa (it was probably brought here in 1382). Although we lack any written records directly confirming the visits of King Władysław Jagiełło (Ladislaus Jagiello) to Jasna Góra, historians believe that he made several pilgrimages to Częstochowa2 . It is worth mentioning that Jagiełło was not only the re−founder of the monastery at Jasna Góra (1393), but also a ruler who, in the year 1430, after learning of the raid on Jasna Góra and the destruction of the Holy Icon was ready to declare war on the Czechs, as Hussites were initially suspected of the attack. When the actual perpetrators had been identified the King punished them severely and rescued the picture by entrusting his best painters with the task of reconstructing it. He supplied them lavishly with large amounts of gold, silver, and precious stones necessary to decorate the picture. King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk (Casimir Jagiellonian) followed his father footsteps and visited Jasna Góra three times. He created a new, beautiful tradition of royal pilgrimages to Częstochowa immediately after his coronation. He was also the first Polish monarch admitted, together with his whole family, to the brotherhood of the Pauline order. Kazimierz’s sons − Jan Olbracht, Aleksander, and Zygmunt Stary (Sigismund the Old) also made pilgrimages to Jasna Góra. Zygmunt Stary was there three times during his reign, and with each visit he endowed the treasury with wonderful votive offerings of his

97 Peregrinus Cracoviensis 7 Franciszek Ziejka own manufacture. King Zygmunt III Waza (Sigismund III Vasa) also made pilgrimages to the sanctuary of Jasna Góra several times. His successor to the throne, Władysław IV Waza (Ladislaus IV Vasa), who visited the sanctuary from his youth on, had a special devotion to the Mother of God of Częstochowa. Due to his efforts, a fortress surrounding the monastery was erected. Jan Kazimierz (John Casimir) also visited Jasna Góra and even participated in the reconstruction of defence walls after the Swedish invasion3 . Michał Korybut Wisniowiecki’s name is also mentioned in Jasna Góra chronicles. In 1669, following his coronation in Cracow, he made a pilgrimage there on foot from the town of Częstochowa and in the following year, before the holy altar, married the Austrian Princess Eleonora Maria, daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III (the wedding feast was held in the refectory). Jan III Sobieski visited Jasna Góra three times4 . Two kings of the Sasa Dynasty also went on pilgrimages to Jasna Góra: August II once and August III twice. The long tradition of royal pilgrimages was eventually broken by Stanisław August Poniatowski who not only never visited Jasna Góra but robbed its treasury of valuables worth about two hundred thousand zloties, an incredible sum of money at that time 5 . When Poland lost her independence and her monarchs, spiritual power over the nation went to the hands of the masters of words, melody and paint brush, namely artists. For over one hundred and twenty years of a lack of political sover− eignty they showed the nation the paths leading to liberation. They did not use any weapons and had no gun arsenals. And yet they governed the souls and became the successors of kings on the pilgrimage route leading to Saint Mary of Częstochowa. It was fated that two greatest poets of the times of national partition, Mickie− wicz and Słowacki never went to Jasna Góra. Despite this, they spread the fame of the Black Madonna far and wide from Częstochowa. For more than a century and a half, generations of Poles repeated the words of the dedication of Pan Tadeusz, a very moving request directed to “the Holy Maiden, defending Częstochowa!” For an equally long period Poles prayed with the words of Juliusz Słowacki’s Hymn, beginning with the words:

“Mother of God! Holy Virgin! Listen to us, Mother of God. This is our fathers’song. In freedom daybreak glows, The bell of liberty strikes, The tree of liberty grows. Oh Mother of God! Bring a song of a free people Before the throne of God6 .”

This poem was written by Słowacki on the first days of the November National Uprising. It quickly became the common property of all Poles. Those held in prison camps and then exiles in distant France used to sing it. The latter also read the entrancing verses of Beniowski written a few years after the failure of the Uprising.

98 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route

Among the verses we find the complaint of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa on the cruel fate of the Polish nation:

“My kingdom”, says the Black Mother, “is destroyed by sword and fire, Little birds, when looking for seeds, Find fields sowed with bullets. Being a thrifty mother, I collect what others sow and Over the generation of the dead I send my angels To fill the barns with martyrs.7”

Many of the “spiritual monarchs” made pilgrimages to Jasna Góra during the time of national partition; among others: Zygmunt Krasiński (1849), Stanisław Mo− niuszko (1864), Jan Matejko (1877), Jan Chełmoński (1903), Eliza Orzeszkowa (1881), and Henryk Sienkiewicz (1903). Józef Korzeniowski (1850) and Władysław Syrokomla (1856) prayed before the Holy Picture of Madonna. Cyprian Kamil Nor− wid went on pilgrimages to Jasna Góra twice, in 1842 and 1843. Even when he finally settled in , he never forgot that he was “a child of Częstochowa”. In 1851 he wrote the legend of The Wonderful Mother of God, written in a primitive folk style. Where the Wandering People Cry tells of priests praying before her, “whose hair goes grey while they are praying”, and of noble knights sleeping under Jasna Góra, awaiting the future battles of Poland8 . In the large group of artists going on pilgrimages to Częstochowa during the time of Partition one can differentiate at least two groups. The first one was formed by travellers, the other by pilgrims.

2. With the travellers The disappearance of Poland from the map of Europe at the end of the 18th century did not stop the work of her best sons for the restoration of Poland. One of the forms of this work was becoming acquainted with the “country’s essence”. Al− though Poland was no longer a free country, many traces of Old Poland remained. Therefore one should do his best to get to know his country and discover its past preserved in ruined castles, churches and graves. It was believed that this knowledge would be helpful in the revival of Poland and, in the long term, her restoration. In 1816, from the pages of his Description of Ancient Poland Tomasz Święcicki tried to convince Poles that: “ in Poland one cannot find a single piece of land which is not filled with the memory of everything our ancestors did and would not remind of the former power and wealth”9 . As a result, large crowds of enthusiasts seeking traces of the country’s history went on a great national pilgrimage. Poets, historians and people loosely connected with the arts or science started to discover the beauty of their motherland and her history, and to collect national relics. First of

99 Franciszek Ziejka all Cracow, the old capital of Poland became the primary destination of these nation− al wanderings. Many travellers went to Puławy where the Czartoryskis had just founded the first national museum on Polish soil (The Temple of Sibyl − 1801, The Gothic Cottage − 1809). Quite a number of travellers went to the immense regions of Lithua− nia and the to look for traces of their national past there. Jasna Góra was another important place on the trail of national pilgrimages. One of the first national pilgrims at Jasna Góra was , whose name is well engraved on the history of Polish literature and culture. A€former deputy to the Four−Year Seym, he was the author of The Return of a Deputy and Kosciuszko’s secretary during the Insurrection of 1794. After many years spent in the United States (where he made friends with Thomas Jefferson), he returned to Poland in 1807 and became active in cultural and academic life. Starting in 1811 he began a series of historical expeditions around the country (which lasted seventeen years) during which he reached Częstochowa (1821). In his diary, published in 1858 containing a detailed report of these journeys, we find much valuable information concerning the sanctu− ary at Jasna Góra. The author presents us with a shortened history of the Pauline monastery, writes about the treasury there, describes crowds of pilgrims and, first and foremost, stresses the enormous importance of Jasna Góra on the lives of Poles and the neighbouring nations. According to Niemcewicz, the unusual role of the Jasna Góra sanctuary was underlined in 1817 during the celebrations connect− ed with the centenary of the coronation of the picture of Saint Mary. Niemcewicz writes: “J. W. Woronicz, a bishop of Cracow, came there together with many other bishops and prelates from the country and abroad. Several days before the celebrations, large crowds of pilgrims from various Slavonic countries be− gan to accumulate, surrounding Jasna Góra with a holy ring. One could hear holy hymns praising the Mother of God, sung emotionally in various Slavonic languages”10 . It is worth noting here that Niemcewicz stressed the inter−Slavic im− portance of Jasna Góra, as it was closely connected with the rise of interest in other Slavonic nations, and the search for common roots11 . Niemcewicz reached Jasna Góra while travelling to Silesia and Wielkopolska, in contrast to Michał Baliński who travelled specially to Częstochowa, in this way, joining a pilgrimage of a religious and national character with a historical expedition. A student of Lelevel, a meritorious activist of The Vilnius Society of Rascals, he came to Jasna Góra in the summer of 1838. The result of that journey was a book, titled A Pilgrimage to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa by a Pilgrim of the 19th century, published in 1846. This thick book by Baliński was for many years a basic source of knowledge concerning Jasna Góra and all its treasures. However, in accordance with literary forms accepted in the period of romanticism, Baliński’s work was not a pure chronicle. He presented his readers with a work filled with emotion. It can be already seen in the first pages of his book. Here we see Baliński arriving at Saint Mary’s base on a July evening: “Millions of stars twinkled, sinking in the blue firmament and a cool breeze after a hot July day, combined with the silence of the approach− ing night, filled my soul with strong emotions when, for the first time, I set foot on Jasna Góra. A lamp, hanging from the ceiling of the always−lit Holy Chapel,

100 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route with its secret light announced to all passer−bys the presence of the Holy Object. When I came closer, the night shadows seemed to diffuse and I saw a slope, and before the low walls surrounding the monastery, in numerous turnings of count− less paths, lonely, kneeling figures. These, partly hidden silhouettes, humbling themselves before the Holy Shrine of the Queen of Heaven had something appealing both to heart and mind12.” Further in the text we have a chance to meet several of these people: a widow with her daughter and a group of homeless orphans. The tales of suffering of these pilgrims and a very touching description of the monks leading the pilgrims into the monastery at dawn perfectly complement a vivid picture of Jasna Góra. This picture sets the tone of the whole book which describes the history of the Pauline order, the history of the Jasna Góra Monastery and the contents of the treasury. Baliński particularly stresses the cognitive function of his book. He tries to convince his reader that “one should necessarily see and think about all relics of ancient godliness in order to supplement the pilgrim− age and reach the desired aim”13 . By “adequacy” of aim he means an under− standing of the twofold character of Jasna Góra: religious and national. And thus as it is described by him, Jasna Góra is not only a place devoted to the Cult of the Virgin Mary but also a national sanctuary of all Poles. A small work by Eustachy Antoni Iwanowski, entitled The Mother of God at Jasna Góra of Częstochowa − The Queen of the Polish Crown, published in Paris in 1852, cannot, in ranking, be compared to Baliński’s book. The author wrote this piece under a pen name Eu...go Helleniusz [sic]. He was right in doing this, as his work is a peculiar silva rerum of information concerning Jasna Góra, the writer’s strange political views and remarks on the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the life of Poland, various notes from Polish history, some prayers and remarks concern− ing a “Polish genius”. This rather chaotic work of an amateur historian, which is not free from factual errors, is filled with a peculiar phraseology of the old−Polish style. However, it should be stressed that out of this unusual chaos (typical of all Iwan− owski’s works), emerges a picture of Jasna Góra, identical with the one presented by Baliński. Iwanowski writes: “This place is filled not only with the presence of the Holy Spirit but also with the lively spirit of the Polish nation, the old Home− land, decorated with the majesty of great, rightful kings. With one’s own eyes one can see there a wonderful, powerful Poland of the past”14 . The author tries to develop this concept in various ways, mainly by presenting his own version of Polish history, a heroic version, sometimes stunningly naive15 . Adam Amilkar Kosiński, a heraldist, and more importantly the author of many popular historical novels of the second half of the 19th century (e.g., Novels on Polish History, 1845 − five volumes, Soldiers’ Tales and Stories from the Wars from 1799 to 1812, 1845, Lords and nobility, 1851). In 1851 Kosiński pub− lished in Vilnius a four−volume work entitled Towns, Villages and Castles of Po− land. Stories and Pictures, in which he described his impressions from numerous travels around Poland. In the third volume, several dozen of pages are devoted to the description of his journey to Częstochowa which he undertook by train in 1850. It was a journey, not a pilgrimage. The author describes the geographical layout of

101 Franciszek Ziejka the area, outlines the history of Jasna Góra (writing at length about the episodes of 1655), recalls pilgrimages to Jasna Góra of Polish and foreign rulers, writes about the treasury and its relics and, finally, presents an outline of the pilgrimage route to Częstochowa. However, in his work, one will not find any traces of spiritual experi− ence connected with the author’s visit to the Victory Hill. Although this dispassionate, literal account changes its character a bit when Kosiński enters the Holy Chapel, his reaction is still one of a tourist and not of a pilgrim searching for spiritual comfort. He pays homage to The Mother of God but it is rather due to the circumstances of his visit not to the needs of his soul. Here are his words: “The serious tone of the organ, priests’ songs, wails, weeping and prayers of a large crowd of devout pilgrims gathered here, added to the significance of the place. The historical events connected with it and the splendour of Catholic ceremonies all appeal to your senses. So you kneel down and pray, pray in a place where so many rulers of the world found comfort and joy in times of sadness; so many powerful peo− ple and millions of those unknown to the world, but important souls before God”16. A€few years later Zenon Fisz, known under a pen name of Tadeusz Padali− ca, a renown author of novels and stories on a Ukrainian theme, came to Jasna Góra with a slightly different attitude. He visited Częstochowa in 1857, like Kosiński reaching it from by rail. The first contact with the Jasna Góra sanctuary made him impatient. The large crowds of pilgrims, noise, crush, and chaos reminded him of a market place, not a pious pilgrimage. But, after a few hours at Saint Mary’s Hill everything changed. After entering the Holy Chapel, the writer noticed... deeply believing pilgrims: ”The priest’s voice was hardly audible in the throng, but from all over the place pious songs of pilgrims could be heard, as well as whispers of prayers and sighs. All these mingled into a monotonous, sensitive hum, and, resembling warm, spring rain, spattered the ceiling of the sanctuary in the night. After listening carefully for a moment, I managed to identify dull, litany−like cries of peasant women coming from the left side of the altar. ‘Oh, Son of Mary’ − with their deep, dull note they drowned all other songs. Never shall I forget these notes and this litany. Behind a grating, a kneeling group of peasants dressed in grey, homespun coats, accompanied them harmoniously; beside me, two old men lay prostrate among the crowd. The people were grouped together in such a strange, unreal way, as if immobilised by the spirit of prayer. Here and there they stood like statues: mountaineers, Cracovians, Silesians”17 . In the face of this common prayer, the writer’s soul also melts:“ long after that, leaning against the grating I observed the pious group and admired this wonderful manifesta− tion of common prayer, which I had a chance to see and share for the first time”18 . Fisz was not interested in votive offerings and historical objects gathered at Jasna Góra (though he visited the treasury) and did not recount the long history of the monastery and sanctuary. For him, the greatest treasure found at Jasna Góra was the faith of the pilgrims. He stresses: “Yes, dear reader, from all wonders of Jasna Góra, from all of its treasures and objects, I find the faith of the Polish People, true and strong, the greatest wonder which needs to be seen if one wants to feel and share it”19 .

102 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route

3. With the Pilgrims Pilgrims have rushed to the Lady of Jasna Góra for centuries. Preserved docu− ments confirm that already in the 15th century rulers, the rich, and also the poor made their way to Częstochowa20 . The pilgrims’ interest in Jasna Góra significantly increased after the Swedish invasion and the miraculous defence of the sanctuary. The recognition of the Mother of God as the Queen of the Polish Crown (1656) by King Jan Kazimierz (John Casimir) caused the Victory Hill of Częstochowa to become one of the spiritual capitals of Poland. Mainly poets recognised its particular impor− tance in the lives of their ancestors. Some of them, like Wespazjan Kochowski praised the Queen of Poland, the Lady of Poles. Others, like Franciszek Karpiński who wit− nessed the tragedy of the Partition of Poland, a well known author of Pious Songs (e.g., “When the morning sun rises”, “All our daily matters”, “Jesus is born”) con− vinced the readers that

At Jasna Góra There is David’s ladder which Angels ascend and descend Holy envoys, reconciling man With God21 .

Still others, like Ludwik Kondratowicz, known in literature by the pseudonym of Władysław Syrokomla, openly stressed the national and supranational importance of the Jasna Góra sanctuary on the lives of Poles, Hungarians, and Czechs. After visit− ing Częstochowa in 1858, he wrote:

Can you hear a holy song piercing heaven? Can you hear the name of Mary sounding over The whole territory ? From all sides pious subjects pay tribute to The Lady of Jasna Góra: Here Mazurians from the Vistula and mountaineers From the Tatras, there Cracovians dressed in Festive robes and Kuyavians from the Goplo, And each group consists of hundreds and thousands Of pilgrims; Each group, is led by its elder, singing holy songs, Which the others then repeat. One can hear from the trembling of their voices that They hurry to meet their Queen! Beside Poles one can see strangers there − Hungarians and Moravians Silesians living under the Germans Czechs and Prussians from the Baltic shore. And also other nations, in large, uncountable numbers.

103 Franciszek Ziejka

Speaking strange languages, dressed and looking foreign. Common worship brought them all To the town of Mary22.

The governments of all three partitioning countries, Russia, Prussia and Aus− tria, understood quite well the exceptional position of Jasna Góra in the lives of Poles and their neighbours. Therefore, immediately after the First Partition of Po− land in 1772, they undertook actions aimed at diminishing the importance of the sanctuary. Austrians were the first ones who tried to fight the Cult of the Mother of God of Częstochowa. Reverend Bolesław Kumor23 described in detail their open war against pilgrims going to Częstochowa and the tradition of calling the Mother of God the Queen of the Polish Crown, which took place at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Soon Russians and Prussians followed the example of the Aus− trians. “The war“ with the Cult of the Mother of God of Częstochowa was waged during the whole period of Partition but it significantly intensified after the failure of the January Uprising. It turned out that in spite of all obstacles and repression, the pilgrimage traffic to Jasna Góra did not stop, but even intensified24. What is signif− icant is the change of social make−up of the Częstochowa pilgrims with the passage of time. Already at the beginning of the 19th century Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz wrote in his diaries that only the poor went to Częstochowa, the poor so driven to extremes by heavy taxation, that they had problems gathering enough money to buy even one votive offering made of poor−quality copper25. The awakening of peasants from a centuries−long sleep, wider access to education and the growing popularity of sobri− ety movements among the 19th century villagers, accompanied by a growing reli− giousness caused the number of peasants participating in pilgrimages to Jasna Góra to increase. This phenomenon was confirmed by Józef Lompa, one of the fathers of Silesian literature. He made a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra for the first time when he was twelve with his father. Then he covered the route many times again, together with other pilgrims from Silesia. With the growth of interest concerning Jasna Góra pilgrimages among the common people, in 1860 he published a detailed guidebook for all those intending to visit the marvellous picture of the Holy Virgin Mary at Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. A note, published in 1886 in Biesiada Literacka as commen− tary to J. Ryszkiewicz’s drawing titled A pilgrimage to Częstochowa in the past and present, also confirms the increase in the number of peasant pilgrimages to Częstochowa. Apparently when Poland still existed as an independent country, mainly noblemen, accompanied by servants came to Jasna Góra (it was only in the 17th century that nobles gave consent for their serfs to participate in pilgrimages to Częs− tochowa)26 . In the second half of the 19th century “mainly peasants hasten to holy places, always led by a man carrying a cross and followed by a priest. They are often accompanied by a village band playing religious tunes, which is followed by the rest of the pious company”27. Painters and illustrators also turned their attention to the folk character of pilgrimages to Jasna Góra. Peasant pilgrims can be

104 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route seen, for example, in Franciszek Kostrzewski’s pictures and drawings, such as “A Pilgrimage to Częstochowa “ (1873), “Pilgrims in Częstochowa “ (1880), “Pilgrims Leaving Częstochowa” (1889) and “Return from Częstochowa” (1884). They are present in Ludwik Stasiak’s picture which won the award of the Society of Fine Arts − “A Pilgrimage to Jasna Góra“ (1896) and in Julian Fałat’s water−colour paintings, preserved at Jasna Góra monastery. Włodzimierz Tetmajer28 also painted peasants on pilgrimages to Częstochowa. In Polish tradition, a special position is held by pil− grimages coming to Jasna Góra from large cities. The most famous ones are, un− doubtedly, pilgrimages from Warsaw. In spring of 1894, Władysław Reymont, a young novelist and the future Nobel Prize Winner in Literature, set off on such a pilgrimage. Reymont visited Częstochowa for the first time in 1892, when he intend− ed to enter the Pauline Order. Two years later he went to Częstochowa with the task of writing a report from a pilgrimage for the Tygodnik Ilustrowany weekly. The future author of The Peasants went to Częstochowa with a pilgrimage from the Praga district of Warsaw, organised each spring (the Warsaw pilgrimage traditionally starts in summer). The group to which Reymont was attached consisted of people of varied social backgrounds, coming from many regions: “One can see hundreds of people grouped as parishes, villages, and even whole districts“29. Despite its inner variety, the group had a homogenous, folk character. “It is pointless to look for different faces or clothes,” writes the author, “one can see only homespun coats; in all colours, from crimson−red to sandy. This sea of heads, both of men’s and women’s, hidden under kerchiefs− grey, red, yellow and crimson creates a moving wave of colours30. Reymont, undoubtedly a pilgrim not of his own choice, on first days of the pilgrimage was interested mainly in the areas they passed. So, in his “literary report“ he describes villages and little towns, people seen on the way and their attitude toward the pilgrims. However, with each passing day, his interests change. The fatigue of the daily journey, common prayers and his relations with pilgrims caused the report to change into a story about people, their worries and problems, misfortunes and hopes. Reymont shows how, during the pilgrimage, a randomly gathered group of strangers gradually changes into a sort of a society, in which each brother and sister, regardless of their social and financial status, can find their place. We read: “Nobody here has a mask or even a name. Who can be dazzled here and how... in face of the hypnotic influence of the destination? If I fell ill, they would put me on a cart and carry me. If I were poor they would feed me and collect money for me. If I died, they would bury me in a cemetery, under green birches, where the birds sing; they would cover my grave with turf, plant a weeping willow and go on their way. And every following Spring, on their way, they would place a blooming twig or a bouquet of forest flowers and I would sleep the endless, quiet sleep, filled with sweet dreams. But I would remain in their hearts and memories for longer than there, on the marketplace of the world”31. The transformation of travellers into pilgrims is followed by the slow transformation of the writer, the narrator. Each day he is less and less interested in worldly matters, focusing his attention on himself and the other brothers and sisters hurrying to Częstochowa. After a few days’ journey he states: “I went together with

105 Franciszek Ziejka this crowd because with each moment I felt better in their company, with every passing day I understood them more and slowly started to forget about the rest of the world. There was so much to see and listen to around me that it would not be possible to think about anything else”32 . At the end of the journey he adds: “I feel continuously more united with them. I am entering a sort of a mystic relationship with these souls. I slowly start to feel the same, most simple things“33. In this way, together with the writer, we slowly get inside the mysteries of the pil− grims’ personalities. We recognise the humanity of each and everyone individually, including that of the writer. Thanks to The Pilgrimage to Jasna Góra Reymont was introduce into the world of great literature. It is undoubtedly the greatest achieve− ment of pilgrimage literature. In Polish literature one cannot find a work which, with equal mastery presents the secrets of a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra. Reymont long remembered the experiences of his pilgrimage to Jasna Góra in 1894. Many years later, he sends a protagonist of his stirring novella “Mother“ to Częstochowa. Also in The Peasants, his most important work, he stressed the importance of pilgrim− ages to Jasna Góra. Let us recall: the preparations for a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra in Lipce, a village where the action of The Peasants is set, take a few months. Its participants know very well that while on the way to Częstochowa “a man feels so well and high spirited, as if he were going to heaven. And how much of the world he can see, hear and pray! It takes only a few weeks, but then a man feels free from all troubles and misfortunes. He feels like a newly born babe!”34. When the group of almost a hundred pilgrims eventually sets off from the Lipce church to Częstochowa, the writer decides to make it a very important element of the novel’s composition. He treats it as a frame closing the work in the religious−cultural dimension of the plot! This pilgrimage also symbolically closes a very important period of the pilgrim− ages of Polish writers to Jasna Góra.

4. With Father Kordecki Tens of thousands of pilgrims hurrying to Jasna Góra each year during the time of Partition found there strength to stand the consecutive waves of persecution from the partioners and believed in the future restoration of their homeland. National objects gathered at Jasna Góra convinced pilgrims that it would indeed happen one day. Among the numerous votive offerings at Jasna Góra one could see royal offer− ings, marshals’ batons and the spoils of war. In order to belittle the significance of the national character of the Jasna Góra Sanctuary, in 1889 Russian authorities erected a statue of Tsar Alexander II at the foot of Jasna Góra. It was supposedly erected with monies, gathered among Polish peasants grateful for the Enfranchisement Law, passed in 186435. Although the statue was situated on the most prominent site (all pilgrims coming to Jasna Góra had to pass it!), it did not diminish the Poles’convic− tion that one day their homeland would be liberated. That conviction was sustained by the Black Madonna and her most faithful defender: Father Augustyn Kordecki.

106 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route

By a strange coincidence, the literary legend of Father Kordecki was enlivened and reshaped during the Partitions. Father Kordecki, the famous defender of Jasna Góra against Swedes, became a literary hero soon after the Swedish “Deluge”. His fame originally spread soon after the publication, in 1657, of his work Nova Gigan− tomachia, contra Sacram Imaginem Deiparae Virginis, written at the request of Queen Maria Ludwika (it was probably written with the help of another Pauline monk, Father Piotr Lassota). Other authors solidified Father Kordecki’s fame: Stanisław Kobierzycki, a historian and the author of Obsidio Clari Montis Często− choviensis (1659), the unknown author of an epic, consisting of twelve cantos, entitled The Siege of Jasna Góra, created before 1673 in manuscript form, but published only in 1930 (wrongly attributed by the publisher to W. Odymalski), and Samuel from Skrzypna Twardowski, the author of the poem Twelve years of civil wars with Cossacks, Tartars, Muscovites, Swedes and Hungarians during the reign of Jan Kazimierz, published in 1681. After 1717, when, with the coronation of the pic−ture of The Mother of God of Częstochowa, New Gigantomachia was published again, the fame of the brave abbot of Jasna Góra dimmed for many years. He was recalled to Poles and all Europe only by Adam Mickiewicz, who devoted to him a whole lecture at the College de France in January 1842. In Mickiewicz’s opinion Father Kordecki was not only one of the most outstanding Polish writers of the 17th century but also a real national hero. The author of Pan Tadeusz tried to convince his listeners at the College de France that Swedes found at the Jasna Góra monastery the strongest, “the most powerful spirit in all of Poland”36 and that the Poland of that time could see in him the ideal of resistance, “a symbol of that which each Pole is capable of accomplishing”37. After the presentation of events that took place at Jasna Góra at the end of the year 1655, Mickiewicz turned his listeners’ attention to moral values of the abbot. He also stated: ”Poland never gave birth to any active genius gifted with such power as the passive genius of this monk. His bravery was not the bravery of a soldier who is killed because he does not want to leave his post, who dies in despair. On the contrary, among so many dangers he was always calm, even humble. His bravery was not human. As the soldiers and youth deserted him and he could count only on few old men, he had a deep and clear idea of a Polish nationality, which relies totally on the moral sense of duty. He remained faithful to this sense“38. In this way Kordecki, raised by Mickiewicz to the summits of national heroism39, became in the following years the hero of a beautiful, national legend. There were many architects of this legend, some of them considered masters. First of all, one should mention the name of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski. Probably fol− lowing the example of Michał Baliński (the author of the above mentioned Pilgrim− age to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, published in 1846), already in the following year Kraszewski published in the columns of the Vilnius Athenaeum a detailed sum− mary of Father Kordecki’s New Gigantomachia40. One is struck by the writer’s scrupulosity in presenting the contents of the abbot’s work. Characteristically, Kraszewski extends his report somewhat, citing Kobierzycki’s text and other sourc− es. All these indicate that the writer was probably familiar with Mickiewicz’s lecture

107 Franciszek Ziejka about Kordecki, as he, like the author of Pan Tadeusz, praises the literary value of New Gigantomachia. He writes with approval: “It is a drama, a small epic work which does not lack miracles and heroes and the poet, overfilled with faith would sing the most beautiful poem on the basis of Father Kordecki’s poem”41. Kraszewski’s words appealed first to a little known Franciszek Krajewski who, in 1850, published in Warsaw a poem titled Father Kordecki in defence of Często− chowa in 1655. It is probable that the very low artistic level of this work (Jerzy Starnawski calls it a work of an incredibly poor quality42 ) caused Kraszewski’s is decision to create his own work about the Abbot of Częstochowa. It was in the same year, 1850, that he wrote a two−volume novel titled Kordecki, which was published two years later. Kraszewski’s novel about Father Kordecki is undoubtedly a great artistic achieve− ment. One pays attention to its documentary character strongly grounded in reality. Still, the writer managed to go beyond a strictly historical report. He created a work in which we find many skilfully drawn protagonists. Father Kordecki, as presented by Kraszewski, is a person far from perfection, as created by Mickiewicz. He is definite− ly a great man, brave and constant in his service to Saint Mary, though he is not free from weaknesses and doubts. In these moments, however, he always knows where to find new strength: in prayer. In Kraszewski’s novel we find two more interesting figures; namely Piotr Czarnecki and Stefan Zamojski, two leaders of the defenders, from the very beginning in competion with each other, but, at the same time deeply devoted to the defence of Jasna Góra. The writer enriched the historical contents of the book, introducing the character of an old beggar, Konstancja. In his work, New Gigantomachia Father Kordecki mentions her presence during the siege of Jasna Góra. Kraszewski made Konstancja into one of the main protagonists; she is a faith− ful servant of the monastery, helping monks outside the walls of the fortress and occasionally serving in the role of messenger. She has a secret, though, which is revealed at the end of the book. It turns out then, that Konstancja is a wife of two noblemen: Krzysztoporski and Lassota, doing penance below the walls of the Jasna Góra fortress. Kraszewski did not hesitate to introduce those two protagonists to the fortress which strengthens the dramaturgy of the novel. In Kordecki we also find a motif, typical for romantic literature, namely that of a noble and beautiful girl, Hanna who is Lassota’s granddaughter. She looks after the old man, but one day she is kidnapped and imprisoned by Krzysztoporski and freed only after the Swedes retreat from Jasna Góra. Kraszewski’s novel became a milestone in the creation of Kordecki’s legend. Numerous authors of variations on the story contributed to this creation. In the second half of the 19th century, a dramatic adaptation of Kordecki, written by Elżbieta Bośniacka (under the pen name of Julian Moers from Poradow) became especially popular. In her “Historical drama from the 17th century in five acts with a prologue“, entitled The Abbot of the Paulines we find only a few plots threads from Kraszewski’s novel. In fact, the author introduced several new plots of her own not present in the original novel, e.g. that of Vicar General Radziejowski. Thanks to the mastery of her pen, for many years the work was staged in both

108 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route professional and amateur theatres (more than one thousand performances between 1872 and the beginning of the First World War). An adaptation for youths, pub− lished in 1904 by Artur Oppman43 also enjoyed great popularity. The novel was translated into Czech (1861) and Russian (1900) and was illustrated by two very experienced painters − Henryk Pillati (edition of 1857) and Piotr Stachiewicz (edi− tion of 1908). The growing interest in the person of Father Kordecki, caused among the readers of Kraszewski’s novel44 brought about new attempts to create a poetic por− trait of the Abbot of Jasna Góra. Although those attempts did not yield any ambi− tious works, one should mention a few of them. In 1862, Józef Szujski, the future great historian, published in Lvov, under the pen name “Józef spod Krakowa” a poem titled The defence of Jasna Góra. His work was entirely devoted to one of less popular heroes of the events of 1655: a citizen of Częstochowa, Jacek Brzu− chański, who actively helped those besieged in the fortress. In this long, rhymed poem by Szujski we find, of course, verses devoted to Father Kordecki. In general, the picture of the abbot, as presented by Szujski resembles the picture created during romanticism: a high−spirited abbot but also a brave defender of the fortress. The friendship between Father Kordecki and Jacek Brzuchanski, the organ player at St. Barbara’s Church, gives Mickiewicz’s “monument” a touch of humanity. Soon after, Jadwiga Łuszczewska, a well known extemporiser of Polish literature, known as Deotyma, followed Szujski. In 1863, in her column of the Noworocznik Ilus− trowany dla Kobiet (illustrated New Year’s Calendar for Women) she published fragments of a poem Kordecki, unknown to the critics and probably not preserved. She titled this fragment “Christmas Eve in Częstochowa in 1655”. The poetess describes one of the last days of the siege on Jasna Góra. Swedes are making preparations for their last, and in their belief, victorious attack. Guards are on watch in the fortress. Father Kordecki is also alert, but it is an unusual moment for him. Here we see a man, who, for several weeks has been the “good spirit” for all the defenders, who at the most difficult moments knew how to find words of support for the defenders of the fortress, yet now, on Christmas Eve, he experiences an especially difficult moment:

Nobody could know what a terrible change Occurred in the hopes and courage of the priest. This great soul, so far unwavering, Today, for the first time, Oh God... doubted!45

The writer tries to show the spiritual fight of the abbot, who, on the night that Jesus was born realised the immense responsibility he was holding. Father Kordecki was afraid of the possibility of defeat and the possible consequences of it for the sanctuary and all people gathered there. But his prayer and... the appearance of the Holy Virgin Mary, who comes from heaven, wrapped in her royal coat, to knight him, brings back his strength and belief in the final victory. Deotyma’s poem does not have any significant artistic value. Still one should remember that its author

109 Franciszek Ziejka made an interesting attempt of bestowing Father Kordecki with human features, who, like all other people has moments of weaknesses and doubts. It is a rare exam− ple in the history of literary legend of the Abbot of Jasna Góra46 . Neither Szujski nor Deotyma‘s portraits of Father Kordecki remained in the readers’ memories for long. A man, who, beside Kraszewski, managed to achieve this was Sienkiewicz. Let us recall: Father Kordecki became one of the main heroes of the second volume of “The Deluge”, who, together with Kmicic, Zagłoba and Wołodyjowski, conquered the hearts and minds of a whole generations of readers, since the 1880s. While creating the portrait of the famous abbot, Sienkiewicz used of course, historical sources. But he managed to enrich the psychological portrait of his protagonist, mainly by binding him with the fate of mysterious Babinicz − Kmicic. Father Kordecki, from the very first day of Kmicic’s presence at Jasna Góra knows his secret (confession), this fact forms a friendship between the two protagonists. The writer’s decision to bind Father Kordecki, a historical character, with Kmicic, a€fictitious one was very successful. Although the abbot loses something of his indecipherability, he gains as a human burdened with the responsibility for Jasna Góra and the rest of Poland. Kmicic’s actions at Jasna Góra did not hide the person of Father Kordecki, they even made his behaviour look more important and made his name famous. For more than a century now, millions of readers have connected Kmicic, a converted sinner, with the person of the abbot, who thwarted Swedish plans and became the author of their defeat. The Abbot of Częstochowa Pauline monks also owes his fame during the times of national Partition to painters. Already in 1848 a picture titled The defence of Częstochowa by Father Kordecki was painted by Władysław Łuszczkiewicz. In 1854, the picture by January Suchodolski, titled The Defence of Częstochowa won first prize at the annual exhibition of the Society of Fine Arts. Next year, at the same exhibition, Kordecki’s fame was sustained by Leon Kapliński, who presented the picture “The Defence of Częstochowa“. With the passing of years the number of painters and illustrators exploiting the Jasna Góra topic increased. Kazimierz Kucz− man mentions the names of fifteen artists from the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, who painted or drew Father Kordecki on the battle− ments of Częstochowa47. If we realise that among them were artists of such rank as Jan Matejko (the picture Priest Kordecki on the walls of Częstochowa), Cyprian Kamil Norwid (the drawing titled Kordecki on the fortifications of Częstochowa), Michal E. Andriolli, Walery Eliasz, Henryk Siemiradzki, Włodzimierz Tetmajer or Henryk Rodakowski, one must agree with the opinion that the Abbot of Jasna Góra had among artists exceptionally skilled promoters48. The fame of the defender of Częstochowa was also proclaimed by his statue, erected next to the Jasna Góra sanctuary in 1859 (it was designed by Henryk Stat− tler). For many years it was a very important spiritual support for all people coming to Jasna Góra, especially if one takes into consideration that Russian soldiers were stationed in the fortress (from 1863 till 1897). At the same time another statue of the abbot was erected in Wieruszowa (where Kordecki spent the last years of his life). In distant Florence, Teofil Lenartowicz, a poet and a sculptor, made a beautiful relief

110 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route

Father Augustyn Kordecki on the battlements of Jasna Góra. A drawing by C. K. Norwid ( E. Helleniusz [E. A. Iwanowski], The Mother of God of Jasna Góra in Czêstochowa. Paris 1852)

111 Franciszek Ziejka titled Kordecki receiving the deputies. In Poland another relief commemorating Kordecki, entitled Kordecki rousing the people to fight was executed by Wacław Przybylski. The celebrations organised in Poland in 1903, in the year of the 300th anni− versary of Father Kordecki’s birth, became an important event in the history of the abbot’s legend. Several magazines, among others “Tygodnik Ilustrowany” com− memorated the abbot with special issues. Poets wrote poems on this occasion. Sig− nificantly, one could still hear the echoes of the romantic tradition in the statements of the artists. Here is what Kazimierz Gliński said about the Abbot of Jasna Góra:

In church of monks, on the walls − a lion A faithful defender of Maria− Quick as a thunder, and radiant as the sun, Filled with faith which, On the order from above Will move and go!49 .

Sienkiewicz, on the other hand, convinced the readers of the “Kurier Warsza− wski” that: “surrounded by doubts, only he, Kordecki, did not doubt the nation, because he felt that despite its sins and offences it still preserved a great, vital feeling − an immense, inconceivable love for the beloved Patroness”50 . Another writer, Wiktor Gomulicki also exploited that point of view. In a column of the literary supplement to “The Kraj” of St. Petersburg, he wrote: “Priest Augustyn Kordecki deserves in the history of Poland a place similar to the one held by the Maid of Orleans in the history of France“51. Contemporary historians, for example, Lud− wik Frąś, Władysław Czaplinski or Adam Kersten generally confirm his exceptional place in the history the 17th century Poland. One thing is certain: during the time of the national partitions Father Kordecki was one of the best guides leading millions of pilgrims before the throne of the Black Madonna.

5. There, where the holy Częstochowa shines The sanctuary of Jasna Góra distinguished itself in the history of Poland. In the first centuries of its existence it was undoubtedly the capital of religious life in Po− land. When Poland lost her independence, its function gradually began to change. As was already mentioned, Jasna Góra more and more distinctly marked its position in the life of the nation. After the abdication of King Stanisław August Poniatowski, Poles remembered that they still had their Queen; that nobody deprived the Mother of God of Częstochowa of the title The Queen of the Polish Crown. This is why it became in the time of Partition, beside Cracow, the second spiritual capital of Po− land. Tens and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims coming to Jasna Góra every year treated it in this way, also those, who with arms tried to regain the independence of Poland: the Bar confederates, the November and January insurgents. Also writers and poets coming as tourists or pilgrims saw Częstochowa in this way. For every−

112 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route one the Black Madonna was not only the Mother of God but also the Queen of the Polish Crown. In 1848, Zygmunt Krasiński prayed “To The Queen of Polish Crown” with these words:

Once you, Maria, in holy Częstochowa Listened to Polish kings praying for their people, Once you were chosen by Poland, huge and not divided Her Queen Once the nation served you under arms, Fighting pagans in the name of Christ − Oh, Queen of Poland and Lithuanian Princess, Have mercy on us !52

The Lady of Jasna Góra was seen in a similar way by Stanislaw Wyspiański, the author of the drama The Queen of Polish Crown and also The Wedding, in which, at centre stage, above the door to an alcove, he set: “a huge picture of the Mother of God of Częstochowa, in a patterned, woven dress, with beads; crowned with the crown of the Polish Queen, with the Child on her lap, raising His hand in blessing”53 . Thus the Lady of Częstochowa was seen by tens of dozens of other artists54 . Each of them could repeat Maria Konopnicka’s poem titled To the Pil− grims, written immediately after the poetess’ first pilgrimage to Jasna Góra in 1902 (her second visit took place in 1907):

There, where holy Częstochowa shines, Let’s turn our eyes to Poland in prayer; There our Mother, the Queen of this soil Will not let Poland and Lithuania die... Angels’ troops are there on guard, Keeping eyes on, the Polish crown During the day and in the night; And she, the Lady of the Sad Face, Comforts our lonely soil. As, for centuries, she protected us from Swedes, Who invaded this land with severe troops, So today she will protect us too, Hiding us from enemies under her starlit coat.55

The truth enclosed in these verses reflect the thoughts and feelings of all those poets, painters, composers and ordinary pilgrims, who, during the one hundred and twenty three years of the lack of independence went on pilgrimages to Jasna Góra seeking comfort, strength and belief in the spiritual rebirth of the nation and the restoration of Poland. These truths were equally attractive after the restoration of independent Poland in the year 1918.

113 Peregrinus Cracoviensis 8 Franciszek Ziejka

Notes: 1 A. Mickiewicz, Literatura Słowiańska. Wykłady w Collége de France, in: Dzieła wszystkie, Warszawa 1935, vol. 9, p.57. 2 Cf. K. Górski, Pielgrzymki Kazimierza Jagiellończyka na Jasną Górę, in: “Studia Claromontana”, vol. 3: 1982, pp. 43 − 48 ; U. Borkowska OSU, Jasna Góra w pobożności królów polskich, “Studia Claromontana”, vol. 4: 1983, pp. 126 − 146. 3 U. Borkowska OSU, Królowie polscy a Jasna Góra. Od czasów Jana Kazimierza do końca Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów, “ Studia Claromontana”, vol. 6: 1985, pp. 63 − 87. 4 Cf. Rev. J. Związek, Pielgrzymki Jana III Sobieskiego na Jasną Górę. “Studia Claromontana”, vol. 4: 1983, pp. 157 − 177. 5 Cf. Rev. Wacław, kapucyn [E. Nowakowski], Stanisława Augusta szkaradne z paulinami postąpienie tegoż, in: Częstochowa w obrazach historycznych, Kraków 1898, pp. 71 − 76 6 Słowacki, J., Hymn, in: Dzieła., comp. by J. Krzyżanowski, Wrocław 1959, vol. 1, p. 40. 7 Słowacki, J. Beniowski, in Dzieła, Op. cit., vol. 3, p. 193. 8 Cf. Norwid, C. K., Częstochowskie wiersze, in: Pisma wybrane, sel. by J. W. Gomulicki, Warszawa 1968, vol. 1 pp. 346 − 353. 9 Święcicki, T., Opis starożytności Polski, Warszawa 1816, p. I (Introduction). 10 Niemcewicz, J. U., Podróże historyczne po ziemiach polskich między rokiem 1811 a 1828 odbyte, Paryż 1858, p. 483. 11 Cf. Maślanka, J., Zorian Dołęga Chodakowski, Wrocław 1965; Witkowska, A. Sławianie, my lubim sielanki, Warszawa, 1972. 12 [Baliński, M.], Pielgrzymka do Jasnej Góry w Częstochowie odbyta przez Pątnika XIX wieku i wydana z rękopisu przez M...B..., Warszawa, 1946, p.14. 13 Op. cit., p. 38. 14 E. Helleniusz [E. A. Iwanowski], Matka Boska na Jasnej Górze Częstochowskiej. Królowa Korony Polskiej. Pamiątka z pielgrzymki odbytej Roku Pańskiego 1848, Paryż 1852, p. 6. 15 Iwanicki writes: “The heroes of Chocim and Kircholm lived like monks, in constant prayer and fasting, often in chastity; they were humble; and after a day of hard work hurried to monasteries, to live together with monks in strict order. Living in this way they were preparing themselves to become great knights and leaders. They created Poland, broadened her borders and defeated numerous enemies. Thanks to this Poland flourished and we can regain her only in the same way.” (pp. 17 − 18) 16 Kosiński, A. A., Miasta, wsie, i zamki polskie. Powieści i obrazki, Wilno 1851, vol. 3, p. 157. 17 Padalica, T. [Z. Fisz ]Listy z podróży,Wilno, 1859, vol. 1, pp. 149−150. 18 Op. cit., p. 150. 19 Op. cit., pp. 150 − 151. 20 Cf. Jackowski, A., Rozwój pielgrzymek w Polsce in: Przestrzeń i sacrum. Geografia kultury religijnej w Polsce i jej przemiany w okresie od XVIII do XX wieku na przykładzie ośrodków kultu i migracji pielgrzymkowych. Ed.by Antoni Jackowski, Kraków 1995, pp. 13−44. 21 Karpiński, F., Zdaje się, że na Jasnej Górze stoi owa... Cit. from: Panno Święta co Jasnej bronisz Góry. Antologia polskiej twórczości poetyckiej o Matce Bożej Jasnogórskiej, arr. by Rożej, S.J., ZP, Poznan 1982, p. 47. 22 Syrokomla, W., Wrażenia pielgrzyma po swojej ziemi. Poemat I. Z Litwy do Wielkopolski, Wilno, 1860. Cit. after: Album pamiątkowe budowy nowej wieży na Jasnej Górze w Częstochowie, Warszawa 1906, p.44. 23 Kumor, B.,Rev., Austriackie władze zaborcze wobec kultu Królowej Polski i pielgrzymek na Jasną Górę (1772−1809), in „Studia Claromontana”, vol. 1: 1981, pp. 77−95.

114 Writers of the time of national Partition on the Jasna Góra pilgrimage route

24 Cf. S. Z. Jabłoński, ZP, Jasna Góra − ośrodek kultu maryjnego (1864−1914), Lublin 1984; J.€Górecki, Rev., Pielgrzymki na Górnym Śląsku w latach 1869−1914, Katowice 1994; S. Wyrwas, Dzieje kultu Najświętszej Marii Panny Królowej Polski. Studium historyczno − liturgiczne, in: Studia z dziejów liturgii w Polsce, vol. 2, Lublin 1976, pp. 403−462 ; Szafraniec, S., Jasna Góra. Studium z dziejów kultu Matki Boskiej Częstochowskiej, in: Sacrum Poloniae Millenium, Rzym 1959; same: Z dziejów Jasnej Góry, Warszawa 1980; Częstochowska Matka Boża, in: Encyklopedia katolicka, vol. 3, Lublin 1989, pp. 852 − 879. 25 Niemcewicz, J. U., Podróże historyczne, Op. cit. p. 484. 26 Cf. Kuczyńska − Iracka, A., Ludowe obrazy Matki Boskiej Częstochowskiej, w: “Studia Claromontana”, vol. 2: 1982, p. 278 passim. 27 Pielgrzymka do Częstochowy in: “ Biesiada Literacka”, 1886, no. 32. 28 Cf. Kuczman, K., Uwagi o tematyce jasnogórskiej w malarstwie polskim okresu rozbiorów, in: “ Studia Claromontana”, vol. 2: 1981, pp. 288 − 296. 29 Reymont, W. S., Pielgrzymka do Jasnej Góry, Warszawa 1988, p.10. 30 Op. cit., p. 11. 31 Op. cit., p. 68 32 Op. cit. p. 58 33 Op. cit. p. 57. This subject was investigated by Ludwik Krzywicki, a renown literary reviewer and researcher of the history of culture. After reading Reymont’s “ Pielgrzymka”, he wrote: “ on the pages of “Pielgrzymka” we can see, page after page, the creation of common consciousness, not a momentary one, but long lasting; not ordinary, but born on the base of tradition“ (L. Krzywicki, Do Jasnej Góry, in: Studia socjologiczne, Warszawa, 1923) 34 Reymont, W. S., Chłopi, arr. by Ziejka, F., Wrocław − Kraków 1991, Biblioteka Narodowa I/279, vol. 2, p.457. 35 Cf. Beylin, K. Dni powszednie Warszawy w latach 1880−1900, Warszawa 1967, p. 251 passim ; S. Z. Jabłoński ZP, Jasna Góra, Op. cit. p. 37. 36 Mickiewicz, A., Literatura słowiańska, Op. cit., p.59. 37 Op. cit., p.60. 38 Op. cit., p.67 39 J. Starnawski writes: “Despite the evident exaggeration of the person (Father Kordecki) by Mickiewicz, the legend created by him has an important historical meaning“(J. Starnawski, Augustyn Kordecki w oświetleniu Mickiewicza, in “Studia Claromontana”, vol. 9: 1988, p. 200). 40 Cf. Oblężenie Częstochowy przez Szwedów w roku 1655 od 8 listopada do 27 grudnia. Z€opowiadania X Augustyna Kordeckiego przez J. I. Kraszewskiego, in: Athenaeum 1847, vol. 1, pp. 15−94. 41 Op. cit., p. 18. 42 J. Starnawski, J.,Kraszewskiego “Kordecki” po stu czterdziestu latach, in “ Studia Claromontana”, vol. 10: 1989, p.368. 43 Cf. Kraszewski, J. I., Kordecki, obrońca Częstochowy. Dla młodzieży streścił Or−Ot [ A.Oppman], Warszawa, 1904. 44 Kraszewski’s Kordecki was published eight times during the times of partition, in: 1852, 1855, 1857, 1875, 1896, 1897, 1903, 1908. 45 Deotyma [J. Łuszczewska], Wilja Bożego Narodzenia w Częstochowie 1655− go roku, in: “Noworocznik (Kalendarz) Ilustrowany dla Polek”, Warszawa 1863. At the same time Father Kordecki was recalled by the Silesian poet Konstanty Damrot. In connection with unexpected circumstances connected with the unveiling of the abbot’s statue on the embankments of the Jasna Góra fortress (in spite of Russian authorities’ ban in fear of patriotic manifestations. One night a cloak covering the monument was removed and the abbot’s statue was dressed in mourning), he wrote a poem titled “The

115 Franciszek Ziejka statue of Augustyn Kordecki at Jasna Góra of Częstochowa”, in which he called the defender of the fortress “a sword of the homeland and a shield of the Holy Faith (K. Damrot, Wiersze wybrane, Wrocław 1965, p.86). 46 It should be remarked here that in 1882, Deotyma went on a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra, connected with the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the existence of the monastery. The fruit of her pilgrimage was a poem titled “At Jasna Góra”, in which Father Kordecki is a member of the spiritual pilgrimage of great Poles, hurrying on the day of the anniversary to the throne of The Mother of God. Besides Father Kordecki we meet in the pilgrimage, among the others, Queen Jadwiga, Rev. Piotr Skarga, King Jan III Sobieski, and also Kazimierz Pułaski. 47 Kuczman, K., Uwagi o tematyce jasnogórskiej w malarstwie polskim okresu rozbiorów in: “Studia Claromontana”, vol. 2:1981, pp. 288−297. 48 One should remember here, that late 19th − early 20th century, the possibility of creating a panorama titled “The Defence of Częstochowa” was discussed and considered twice. At first, from the initiative of Wojciech Kossak, the co−painter of The Raclawice Panorama (see his declaration in “Kraj” of St. Petersburg from 7 July 1899), and then Włodzimierz Tetmajer and Stanisław Janowski had the same idea (“Tydzień” 1903, no. 3). The plans were never executed. 49 Gliński, K., Kordecki, in “Tygodnik Ilustrowany” 1903, nr. 46 50 “Kurier Warszawski” 1903, issue of 16 November 51 Gomulicki, W., Miejsce Kordeckiego w historii, in: Życie i Sztuka (supplement to “Kraj”), 1903, no. 43. 52 Krasiński, Z., Modlitwa, in: Dzieła. Published and reviewed by T. Pini, Warszawa 1934, vol. 1, p.48. 53 Wyspiański, S., Wesele, in: Dzieła zebrane,Kraków 1958, vol. 4, p.7. 54 S.J. Rożej in the anthology already cited here, titled “Holy Maiden, defending Jasna Góra” reminds us of other poems devoted to the Mother of God of Częstochowa, created by different poets of those times, namely: Władysław Bełza, Kazimierz Laskowski, Wacław Rolicz−Lieder, and Maria Grossek − Korycka. 55 Konopnicka, M., Pątnikom, in: Poezje, edited by J. Czubek, Warszawa 1915−1916, vol. 8, p. 60.

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