Iwo Odrowąż (died 21 August 1229) was a medieval Polish humanist, statesman, and bishop.

Life

Iwo was very probably born in

Końskie Końskie ( yi, Kinsk, קינצק / קינסק) is a town in south-central Poland with 20,328 inhabitants (2008), situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. Historically, Końskie belongs to the province of Lesser Poland, and since its found ...

, son of Szaweł Odrowąż and a member of the noble family of Odrowąż. He studied in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, maintained contacts with a number of Western European intellectuals, and developed for himself a reputation as a "splendid representative of medieval Latin culture", though no writings of his survive. He later served as chancellor to

Leszek I the White Leszek the White ( pl, Leszek Biały; c. 1184/85 – 24 November 1227) was Prince of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland in the years 1194–1198, 1199, 1206–1210, and 1211–1227. During the early stages of his reign, his uncle Duke Mieszko I ...

from 1206 to 1218, and as

Bishop of Kraków A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

from 1218 to 1229. Although designated by

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of import ...

in 1219 as

archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

. In 1215, he took part in the

Fourth Lateran Council The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many ...

together with Archbishop

Henryk Kietlicz Henryk Kietlicz (1150 – 22 March 1219) was Archbishop of Gniezno from 1199 to 1219 was the main architect of the changes that allowed the Polish church to gain independence from the secular authorities. Henryk was born in 1150 to a Czech famil ...

. After the death of Leszek he supported

Henry I the Bearded Henry the Bearded ( pl, Henryk (Jędrzych) Brodaty, german: Heinrich der Bärtige; c. 1165/70 – 19 March 1238) was a Polish duke from the Piast dynasty. He was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201, Duke of Kraków and High Duke of all P ...

against

Konrad I of Masovia Konrad I of Masovia (ca. 1187/88 – 31 August 1247), from the Polish Piast dynasty, was the sixth Duke of Masovia and Kuyavia from 1194 until his death as well as High Duke of Poland from 1229 to 1232 and again from 1241 to 1243. Life Konrad wa ...

. In the years 1220–1224 while he was Bishop of Kraków, he built a church dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Dem ...

in the village of

and established a parish there. In 1229 he funded a church in Daleszyce. In 1223, thanks to his endeavours, the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

sent friars from

to Kraków, the first Dominican presence in Poland, with the first Polish Dominican friar Jacek Odrowąż, his kinsman, who in the year 1594 was canonised. In 1220 Iwo brought the

Order of the Holy Ghost The order of the Holy Ghost (also known as Hospitallers of the Holy Spirit) is a Roman Catholic religious order. It was founded in 1180 in Montpellier by Gui of Montpellier, the son of William VII of Montpellier, for the care of the sick by group ...

(''Ordo Fratrum Canonicorum Regularium Sancti Spiritus de Saxia'') to Prądnik Biały, where he entrusted them with the care of the hospital. Iwo is thought to be the probable founder of the church in

Wysocice Wysocice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gołcza, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south of Gołcza, south-west of Miechów, and north of the regional capital Kr ...

at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1222 in Kacice near

Słomniki Słomniki is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998). Słomniki lies north of Kraków, among the hills of Lesser Poland Upland. On December 31, 2010, its ...

he established a Cistercian monastery, which later moved to Mogiła near Kraków and became known as

Mogiła Abbey Mogiła Abbey ( pl, Opactwo Cystersów w Mogile; la, Abbatia B.M.V. de Clara Tumba) is a Cistercian monastery in the Nowa Huta District of Kraków, Poland. The abbey was founded in 1222 by the Bishop of Kraków, Iwo Odrowąż. The religious com ...

. He developed campaigns for settlement on the estates of the bishops of Kraków. He provided endowments for the Cistercian monasteries of

Sulejów Sulejów is a town in central Poland with 6,130 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been in Piotrków Voivodeship (1975–1998). Sulejów gives its name to the protected area known as Sulej� ...

and

Wąchock Wąchock is a town in Starachowice County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, near Starachowice, within the historical region of Lesser Poland. In 2006, it had 2,777 inhabitants. History Wachock received its town charter in 1454, lost it in ...

as well as the

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

monasteries in

Hebdów Hebdów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Nowe Brzesko, within Proszowice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Nowe Brzesko, south-east of Proszowice, and east of the regi ...

and Imbramowice, an ancestral foundation of the Odrowąż family, where the bishop's sister was abbess. He also founded two churches in Kraków: the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Church of the Holy Cross. He died near

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label= Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and '' comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. A town, and seat o ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, while on a visit. His remains, through the agency of

Wincenty of Kielcza Wincenty of Kielcza (c. 1200 – after 1262) was a Polish canon, poet, and composer, working in Kraków and writing in Latin. He was a member of the Dominican Order. Most likely born in the village of Kielcza, he is best known for his hymn "Gaude ...

, a family connection, were buried in the Dominican church in Kraków (now the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, Kraków). Iwo was the owner of the oldest known Polish private library (containing 32

codices The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

purchased abroad), which he left in his will to

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral ( pl, Katedra Wawelska), formally titled the Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus, is a Roman Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it is part of the ...

Bibliography

* ''Kościół SS. Norbertanek w Imbramowicach pod wezwaniem św. Apostołów Piotra i Pawła''. Wydane przez SS. Norbertanki.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odrowaz, Iwo 13th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland Bishops of Kraków

Iwo Iwo or IWO may refer to: People * Iwo Byczewski (born 1948), Polish diplomat * Iwo Dölling (1923–2019), Swedish diplomat * Iwo Gall (1890–1959), Polish theater director, stage designer, and pedagogue * Iwo Kaczmarski (born 2004), Polish fo ...

People from Końskie County 12th-century births 1229 deaths