Stanisław Orzechowski (Ukrainian: Stanislav Orikhovsky) (born November 11 1513 in Przemyśl, died in Żurawica 1566), Polish catholic preist of Ruthenian descent[1][2], canon of Przemyśl, historian, renaissance political and religious writer. Adventurer, advocate of the szlachta rights, pioneer of sarmatism and ideologist of the Golden Liberty.

Oksza coat of arms

Biography edit

 
Przemyśl in XVIc

Early life edit

Stanisław was a sixth son of a rich nobleman and court referent, Stanisław Okrza Orzechowski from Orzechowice and daughter of an orthodox priest, Jadwiga Baraniecka. As Stanisław wrote once about his identity, he was "gente Ruthenus, Natione Polonum"[2], in "Chimera: sive de Stancari funesta Regno Poloniae secta" he wrote:

Since his childhood was addressed to the seminary, started his education in the cathedral school. In the years 1526-1528, he studied at the Jagiellonian University, then continued his studies in foreign academies. Until 1540 was getting education in Vienna, Wittenberg, Leipzig, Padua, Bologna, Venice and in the Rome, where he lived in home of cardinal Hieronim de Ghinuccini. In Italy, became a close friend of Marcin Kromer, as Orzechowski said: "bed mate". There he met also Gasper Contarini whom philosophic and theologic ideas ingrained Orzechowski's future outputs.

Controvercial Preisthood edit

In 1541 ordered himself to the priesthood, becomed parish of Żurawica and Pobledno. Then remorse himself and confessed that lived with a crowd of prostitutes. It`s not clear how many of them he lived with, for sure he had one mistress, Anna from Brzozowa. According to his words, he wanted to continue his name, because since all of his brothers died, he was last male hier of Orzechowski family. When Stanisław published in 1547 controvesial "De lege coelibatus...", theological tract against celibacy, and announced in public that he wants to marry Anna, he was called on archbishop`s tribunal. Meanwhile Provincial Sejmik (conventiones particulares) of a Lesser Poland[4] welcomed Orzechowski`s confession, but Przemyśl bishop, Jan Dziaduski banished and excommunicated him. This case was investigated by Sejm for 15 years. Orzechowski`s 1550 year`s speech, delivered in his own defence, moved whole Sejm and made him famous. He refused his canon benefice and even suborned two clerics to take marriages. With accordance of whole deputes chamber and support of such figures like Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, Marcin Zborowski and Rafał Leszczyński, and because of Stanisławs Hosius "Confessio catholicae fidei Christiana" (Christian Confession of Catholic Faith) declared at the synod of Piotrków by Orzechowski, his sentence was suspended in 1552. Was also advised to wait for Papal dispensation before marriage.

 
Przemyśl cathedral
 
Jan Dziaduski tomb in Przemyśl Cathedral

Orzechowski, took marriage illegally. However, it wasn't Anna Brzozowa this time, but Magdalena Che?mska, Cracovian noble lady, in addition to it, he consecrated marriage of another cleric. This act made Przemy?l bishop even more disgusted and renewed, barely settled down conflict, Orzechowski sentence was taken off suspense. Jan Dziaduski, feared of nobles who stood up for just married Orzechowski, needed to flee from Przemy?l. Papal legate Alvise Lippomano, banished Orzechowski, excommunicated and his property was seized. Orzechowski, avoided all of that punishments, thanks to his powerful supporters, and his oratorical genius verbalised in "Pro dignitate sacerdotali oratio". Orzechowski went back to Przemy?l, entered cathedral at the moment of his judgement deliverance, came to the pulpit and spoke about liberty and injustice in a way he could speak. After that went to the court and accused his oppressors. Sejm of 1552 was a breaking point in Polish-Lithuanian relations between church and state, clergy lost rests of its jurisdiction over the szlachta. Orzechowski was finally found innocent by this Sejm, and in 1561 by the church officials at synod in Warsaw. His petitions to Vatican, to recognize his marriage, remained without any response. He had a five childs already.

Political activity edit

 
House of Stanisław Orzechowski in Przemyśl

Orzechowski was in opposing to the King Zygmunt August party, defender of the nobility privilages, opponent of the execution movement and temporary sympatheiser of lutheranism. This verry popular writer and orator delivered famous speech in 1543, so called "First Turcik", in which was calleing for anti-Turkish crusade, year after was published "Second Turcik". Those political tracts were modeled on Demostenes "Philippic". Despite all of controversy, Orzechowski becomed a devoted catholic and counter-reformationist, considered Papacy as a highest authority. Lost his protestant friends, catholicks didn`t forgot his marriage and herecy. Orzechchowski was apologist of the Golden Liberty (Aurea Libertas), on the other hand belived that King`s authority comes from God and that he should hold boundless power, even abolute. Was afraid of reformation and especially the Polish Brethren (antitrinitians, arians) Advocated Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but was awared of political differences, criticised it by insulting Lithuanians in his "Quincunx, or a Design for the Polish Crown Arranged in a Pyramid".

Orzechowski was in opposing to the King Zygmunt August party, defender of the nobility privileges, opponent of the execution movement and temporary sympathiser of Lutheranism. This very popular writer and orator delivered famous speech in 1543 so-called, "First Turcik", in which was calling for anti-Turkish crusade, year after was published "Second Turcik". Those political tracts were modeled on Demostenes "Philippic". Despite all of controversy, Orzechowski becamed a devoted Catholic and a counter-Reformationist, considered Papacy as a highest authority. Lost his Protestant friends, Catholicks haven`t had forgot his marriage and heresy. Orzechchowski was apologist of the Golden Liberty (Aurea Libertas), on the other hand belived that King's authority comes from a God and that he should hold boundless power, even absolute. Was afraid of Reformation and especially the Polish Brethren (Antitrinitians) Advocated Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but was aware of political differences, criticised it by insulting Lithuanians in his "Quincunx, or a Design for the Polish Crown Arranged in a Pyramid".

Ideas and works edit

Religious edit

He was convinced to reform of catholic church and abolition of the celibacy. In his "De lege coelibatus...oratio" Orzechowski wrote:

Political edit

Orzechowski was a writer who did not eschew conflicts, who was gifted with an exceptional sense of readers’ needs and of the current political situation, and the author of dialogues that constitute, in their ideological layer, a kind of inverse of Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski`s concepts. In 1563 he printed "Conversation or Dialog on the Execution of the Law of the Polish Crown" followed one year later by "Quincunx, or a Design for the Polish Crown Arranged in a Pyramid". These two dialogs, plus an unfinished treatise meant to compliment them, "The Polity of the Polish Kingdom Portrayed in the Image of Aristotelian Politics" championed the arguments of the Catholic camp and of the author himself, who came out violently against the execution movement program, while at the same time propounding Orzechowski’s own almost theocratic agenda for reforming the Republic.

The Quinqunx of his second work’s title is a geometric figure denoted by the five corner points of a pyramid, representing the ideal state. The four points of king, priest, altar, and faith form the foundation of the pyramid, while the fifth, the summit raised above them, is the Catholic Church.

In this Kingdom, there is a place for free Poles, among whom, thanks to their nobility...

Advocated a model of a religious state, a model upon which the myth of noble Poland as a nation chosen by God would later be built, Orzechowski at the same time drafted a plan for the noble liberties that would become the norm beginning in the 17th century. In so doing, he was not sparing catastrophic visions of a demise of the heresy-ridden Republic. His prophetic tone was coupled with his conviction of his own role as a writer and oracle.



Bibliography edit

(in German) "Oratio An den durchleuchtigisten Herrn, Herrn Sigismundum König in Poln"

Posthumous edit

("Conversation or Dialog on the Execution of the Law of the Polish Crown and Quincunx, or a Design for the Polish Crown Arranged in a Pyramid") pub. Akademia Umiejętności 1919

Further reading edit

  • Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski - "Andreae Fricii Modrevii narratio simplex rei nouae & eiusdem pessimi exempli : simul & querela de iniurijs, & expostulatio cum Stanislao Orichouio Roxolano"
  • Kosmanowa Bogumiła - (in Polish) "Recepcja twórczości Stanisława Orzechowskiego od połowy XVIII do połowy XIX wieku" Kórnik [[1977]
  • Kubala, Ludwik - (in Polish) "Stanisław Orzechowski i wpływ jego na rozwój i upadek Reformacyi w Polsce pub. E. Wende, H. Altenberg, Lwów/Warszawa 1906
  • Krzysztof Koehler - (in Polish) "Stanisław Orzechowski i dylematy humanizmu renesansowego" ISBN 83-89243-71-7
  • Koehler Krzysztof - (in Polish) "Stanisława Orzechowskiego i Augustyna Rotundusa debata o Rzeczypospolitej" ISBN 978-83-7505-362-3
  • Andrzej Kaim - (in Polish) "Ekumenia w dobie renesansu. Jedność Kościoła w ujęciu Stanisława Orzechowskiego" ISBN 83-228-0829-1
  • Jolanta Malinowska - (in Polish) "Stanisław orzechowski: Gente Ruthenus" Roczniki humanistyczne ISSN 0035-7707
  • Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński - (in Polish) "Wiadomości historyczno-krytyczne do dziejów literatury polskiéy" pub. Józef Matecki, Kraków 1822
  • Bogumiła Kosmanowa - (in Polish) "Wróg celibatu – Stanisław Orzechowski" Warszawa 1971

See also edit

Referrences edit

pl:Stanisław Orzechowski de:Stanisław Orzechowski uk:Оріховський Станіслав