Saint Hyacinth
Saint Hyacinth (born c. 1185 AD in Kamień Śląski, Silesia, modern Poland; died August 15, 1257 AD in Kraków, Poland) was a Polish Dominican friar and missionary who evangelized vast areas of northern and eastern Europe — Poland, Prussia, Lithuania, Pomerania, Russia, Scandinavia, and even, by some accounts, Tibet and China. He is called the Apostle of the North and the patron of Poland (with Saint Adalbert and Saint Stanislaus). His most famous miracle is carrying the Blessed Sacrament and a heavy stone statue of the Virgin out of a besieged Kyiv monastery as Mongol forces approached. His feast day is August 17.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Hyacinth
| Saint Hyacinth | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | August 17 |
| Profession | Dominican friar; missionary; preacher; apostle of northern and eastern Europe |
| Rel. Affiliation | Dominican Order (Order of Preachers); received habit from Saint Dominic himself; Apostle of the North |
| Patronage | Poland; Lithuania; Prussia; Scandinavia; Russia (missions); Dominican Order; missionaries; those drowning (water miracles); the Blessed Sacrament |
| Attributes | Dominican habit; monstrance (carrying the Blessed Sacrament from Kyiv); alabaster statue of Our Lady; lily (purity); water or river (walking on water) |
| Birthplace | Kamień Śląski, Silesia, modern Poland |
| Death Place | Kraków, Lesser Poland, Poland |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died at the Dominican priory at Kraków, on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, August 15, 1257 |
| Primary Shrine | Dominican Church of the Holy Trinity (Kościół Dominikanów), Kraków, Poland — his relics in the Chapel of Saint Hyacinth; major Polish national shrine; one of the most important Dominican churches in Poland |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (Roman Calendar, August 17) |
| Historic Class | Feast (August 17) |
Biography
Hyacinth (Jacek Odrowąż in Polish) was born around 1185 in Kamień Śląski in Silesia, into a noble Polish family. He studied in Kraków, Bologna, and Paris, and was ordained a priest. Around 1216–1220, traveling in Rome with his uncle Ivo Odrowąż (who was being made Bishop of Kraków), he met Saint Dominic himself and was so moved by the new mendicant vision of the Order of Preachers that he asked to be received into it. Dominic personally gave him the Dominican habit.
He returned to Poland with several companions and established the Dominican presence there, founding priories in Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, and eventually ranging throughout the Slavic and Baltic lands. Tradition credits him with missions to Prussia, Pomerania, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and even further reaches — later hagiography extended his apostolate to Tibet and China, though these are almost certainly legendary.
His most famous miracle concerns Kyiv: in 1240, as Mongol armies ravaged the city, Hyacinth gathered the consecrated hosts and prepared to flee the Dominican chapel. A voice — identified as Our Lady from her statue — asked him not to abandon her. He found the heavy alabaster statue miraculously light in his arms and carried both the Blessed Sacrament and the statue to safety across the Dnieper River.
He died at Kraków on August 15, 1257 — the Feast of the Assumption — a death date his hagiographers regarded as a final gift from the Virgin he had so devotedly served. Pope Clement VIII canonized him in 1594.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Kamień Śląski, Silesia, modern Poland
Death location: Kraków, Lesser Poland, Poland
Notable location: The center of his mission to Poland and the city of his death; the Dominican Church of the Holy Trinity in Kraków holds his relics; he is one of the patrons of Poland; the Dominican presence in Poland grew enormously through his efforts (Kraków, Lesser Poland, Poland)
Notable location:
Notable location: He met Saint Dominic in Rome and was received into the Dominican Order by Dominic himself (c. 1216–1220); this encounter changed his life; he was one of the earliest Dominican missionaries to the Slavic nations (Rome, Italy)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
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| This map created from a Cargo query () |
| Parish | Diocese | City | AdministrativeSubdivision | Country | ParishWebsite |
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| Parish | Diocese | City | AdministrativeSubdivision | Country | ParishWebsite |
| St. Hyacinth (Diocese of Amarillo) | Diocese of Amarillo | Amarillo, TX | Texas | United States | |
| St. Hyacinth (Diocese of Rockville Centre) | Diocese of Rockville Centre | Glen Head, NY | New York | United States | http://www.glencovecatholic.org |
| St. Hyacinth (Diocese of Rockville Centre) | Diocese of Rockville Centre | Hicksville, NY | New York | United States | https://www.sthyacinth.org/ |
| St. Hyacinth (Diocese of Saginaw) | Diocese of Saginaw | Bay City, MI | Michigan | United States | https://www.baycityolc.com |
Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| Saint of the Day: August 16th - Saint Hyacinth | 15–30 minutes | Butler's Lives of the Saints |
| Powerful Prayer to Saint Hyacinth | Under 5 minutes | Joy of Heaven |
| Prayer to Saint Hyacinth | Under 5 minutes | Joy of Heaven |
| Story of Saint Hyacinth | Under 5 minutes | Joy of Heaven |
| The Story of Saint Hyacinth | Under 5 minutes | Joy of Heaven |
| Saint Hyacinth, Confessor - August 17th | Under 5 minutes | Saint of the Day |
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Dominican Church of the Holy Trinity, Kraków, Poland — his relics; Chapel of Saint Hyacinth; one of the most important Dominican shrines in the world.
Feast day
August 17
Veneration
Saint Hyacinth is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church on August 17 as an Optional Memorial. He is a patron of Poland and the Apostle of the North.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.