Kinga of Poland (also known as Cunegunda; pl, Święta Kinga, hu, Szent Kinga) (5 March 1224– 24 July 1292) is a

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 ...

in the Catholic Church and patroness of Poland and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

Biography

She was born in Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, the daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. She was a niece of Elizabeth of Hungary and great-niece of

Hedwig of Andechs Hedwig of Silesia ( pl, Święta Jadwiga Śląska), also Hedwig of Andechs (german: Heilige Hedwig von Andechs, la, Hedvigis; 1174 – 15 October 1243), a member of the Bavarian comital House of Andechs, was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and o ...

. Kinga's sisters were Margaret of Hungary and Jolenta of Poland. She reluctantly married

Bolesław V Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to: In people: * Boleslaw (given name) In geography: *Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, Pol ...

("the Chaste") and became princess when her husband ascended the throne as High Duke of Poland. Despite the marriage, the devout couple took up a vow of chastity. The marriage was largely arranged by, and the vow of chastity patterned after that of Bolesław's sister, Salomea of Poland. During her reign Kinga got involved in charitable works such as visiting the poor and helping the lepers. When her husband died in 1279, she sold all her material possessions and gave the money to the poor. She soon did not want any part in governing the kingdom which was left to her, and decided to become a Poor Clare nun in the monastery at Sandec (

Stary Sącz Stary Sącz is a small historic town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Stary Sącz (commune), and one of the oldest towns in the country, having been founded in the 13th century. Geography Stary Są ...

). She would spend the rest of her life in contemplative prayer and did not allow anyone to refer to her past role as Grand Duchess of Poland. She died on 24 July 1292, aged 58.

Veneration

Pope Alexander VIII beatified Kinga in 1690. In 1695, she was made chief patroness of Poland and

. On 16 June 1999, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II.

Legend

Legend has it that Kinga threw her engagement ring into the

Aknaszlatina Solotvyno (also Solotvina) ( uk, Солотвино, hu, Aknaszlatina and hu, Faluszlatina, ro, Slatina, rue, Солотвино, yi, סעלאָטפֿינע (Selotfine), sk, Slatinské Doly) is an urban-type settlement in Tiachiv Raion in Z ...

salt mine in what was then Hungary. The ring miraculously traveled along with salt deposits to Wieliczka, where it was rediscovered. On this spot the miners erected a statue of Saint Kinga, carved entirely from salt, which is 101 meters under the Earth's surface.

Sources

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinga of Poland 1224 births 1292 deaths 13th-century Hungarian people 13th-century German nuns Beatified and canonised Árpádians Piast dynasty Hungarian princesses Polish queens consort Roman Catholic 13th-century Christian saints Medieval Hungarian saints Polish Roman Catholic saints Hungarian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Hungarian people of Greek descent Polish people of Hungarian descent Polish people of Greek descent People from Esztergom Poor Clare abbesses Franciscan saints Roman Catholic royal saints Christian female saints of the Middle Ages Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II 13th-century Hungarian women Canonizations by Pope John Paul II Beatifications by Pope Alexander VIII Daughters of kings