Erazm Ciołek (1474–1522) was a Polish diplomat and writer,

Bishop of Płock A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

from 1504 to his death. He was also the author of ''

Ciołek's Missal ''Ciołek's Missal'' is one of the oldest relics of Polish literature. Made in 1515, in Kraków, for Erazm Ciołek, the Archbishop of Płock it was decorated with figural initials, rich borders with motives of crests of the owner (Sulima Coat of ...

'', one of the oldest works of

Polish literature Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages used in Poland over the centuries have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Latin, ...

, and patron of the artists.

Biography

Born in 1474 to a burgher family in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Ciołek graduated from the

Kraków Academy The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

with the

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in 1491.Katolicka Agencja Informacyjna (2007)
Biskup płocki, bp Erazm Ciołek.
Retrieved . He is not to be confused with Erazm Ciołek from the same family, who received his Master's in 1512. In 1494 Erazm Ciołek (future Bishop of

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

) became the secretary of

Polish king Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

Alexander Jagiellon Alexander Jagiellon (; ; 5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1492 and King of Poland from 1501 until his death in 1506. He was the fourth son of Casimir IV and a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Alexander was el ...

and one of his favorite courtiers. In 1501 he left on a diplomatic mission to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where he received

Holy Orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

. In Rome, Ciołek discussed Alexander's marriage and possible divorce from

Helena of Moscow Helena Ivanovna of Moscow (; ; ; 19 May 1476 – 20 January 1513) was Grand Duchess of Lithuania and List of Polish consorts, Queen of Poland as the consort of Alexander Jagiellon. She was a daughter of Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, and she ...

, who was an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

. Helena's father,

Ivan III of Russia Ivan III Vasilyevich (; 22 January 1440 – 27 October 1505), also known as Ivan the Great, was Grand Prince of Moscow and Sovereign of all Russia, all Russia from 1462 until his death in 1505. Ivan served as the co-ruler and regent for his bli ...

, accused Alexander of religious intolerance and used it as a pretext for the renewed Muscovite–Lithuanian War (1500–1503). In 1503, with support of the king, he became the

bishop of Płock A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, where he became known as a good administrator, protector of peasants. He became the

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of many artists (like

Mikołaj Hussowczyk Mikołaj Hussowczyk (, , ). Other name spelling variants include Hussoviensis, Hussovianus, Ussovius, Hussowski, Gusowski); ( – ) was an early Renaissance poet and humanist of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and a cultural and soc ...

), and amassed a large book collection. He was also a writer and poet himself and his ''

'' is considered to be one of the oldest works of

. He funded many

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es and supported educational institutions (particularly monasteries), Ciołek enforced high standards of education and activity among his priesthood. He renovated the

Cathedral of Płock A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, as well as many other churches. Active in politics, due to intrigues by his opponents, he lost the favor of king

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

, and did not succeed in his goal of becoming a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

. He died in Rome in 1522.

Members of family

Another member of the Ciołek family known by the same name, entered

in 1507, and upon graduation joined the Cistercian Monastery in Mogiła near

where in 1522 he became an abbot. Erazm Ciołek of Mogiła restored the Monastery to its former glory, and served as ambassador to King Sigismund I. He was appointed Canon of Kraków in 1536 and the Suffragan Bishop in 1544. He died at the Mogiła Abbey on December 6, 1546.

References

External links

Works by Erazm Ciołek
in digital library

Polona Polona is a Polish digital library, which provides digitized books, magazines, graphics, maps, music, fliers and manuscripts from collections of the National Library of Poland and co-operating institutions. It began its operation in 2006. Colle ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciolek, Erazm Ecclesiastical senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1474 births 1522 deaths Bishops of Płock Diplomats of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Canons of Kraków 16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland