Bogumilus, in Polish Bogumił Piotr, (also known as Bogimilus and Theophilus)Bunson, Matthew. "Bogumilus", ''Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints'', OSV Publishing, 2003
was

Archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.hermit.St. Bogumilus
Catholic Online

Life

Bogumilus and his twin brother, Boguphalus, were born into a noble family in about 1135 at Dobrów, Poland. They studied in Paris, France. Having completed his studies Bogumilus was ordained a priest near Dobrów. His uncle, who was the

Archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of Gniezno. Bogumilus succeededed his uncle as Archbishop of Gniezno in 1167. Bogumilus founded a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

abbey at Koronowo. He resigned his see in 1172, possibly due to opposition by his clergy to what they viewed as his excessive strictness. Bogumilus then joined the

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

hermits at Uniedow, Poland, where he remained until his death. While on his deathbed, it is believed that Bogumilus saw a vision of the Virgin Mary and

Child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

, surrounded by a throng of angels, who were inviting him to

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

Legacy and Veneration

The

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

and veneration of Bogumilus began almost immediately after his death, especially in

Eastern Poland Eastern Poland is a macroregion in Poland comprising the Lublin, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships. The make-up of the distinct macroregion is based not only of geographical criteria, but also economic ...

. Many people prayed for his intercession for things such as health, good livestock and a good catch while fishing. When they were answered, many faithful visited his tomb and it became a place for local pilgrimage. Yet it was not until 1625 that the formal process of beatification began under the Primate of Poland,

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Maciej Łubieński. Dobrów - kaplica

The files were sent to Rome in 1651, however the process was never completed as the ''Book of Miracles'', which was in the hands of a Count, by the name of Sebastian Głębocki, was burned at his court in Głębokie, Kruszwica. In 1788 a small wooden chapel dedicated to Bogumilus was built, in the wetlands of the Rivers Warta and Teleszyny, near Dobrów, and still stands until this day. The process of beatification would remain dormant until 1908, when Stanislaw Zdzitowiecki, the Bishop of Kujawy, reactivated the process. On 27 May 1925

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

proclaimed Bogumilus, as

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatura ...

. Later Pope Paul VI would bestow on Bogumilus the

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the Archdiocese of Gniezno.

Historical Confusion

Some

scholars A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher ...

believe that Bogumilus is the amalgamation of two historical figures by the names of Bogumił and Piotr, one of whom was the archbishop and the other a monk or the bishop of Poznań. There is no definitive evidence, to support this, however, and most modern

historians A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

regard Bogumił Piotr, as one historical person, who is venerated in the Catholic Church. In support of this view, it is possible that the archbishop had been christened as Piotr and might have taken the name Bogumił as his monastic name. The support for this theory is the fact that this name already had a place of honor in the Camaldolese Order, as the original Bogumilus was a member of the first monastery of the Order outside of Italy. All the members of this 11th-century community were murdered and are considered martyrs within the Order. An account of their deaths was written by their colleague,

Saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Bruno of Querfurt, and the memory of these martyred monks would have been still fresh to the Polish Camaldolese monks of his day. Archbishop Bogumił is mentioned as the probable founder of Gniezno door

References

External links

Virtual tour Gniezno Cathedral
{{Authority control Polish beatified people Archbishops of Gniezno Hermits 1130s births 12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Poland Beatifications by Pope Pius XI Polish twins People from Koło County Bishops of Poznań