Published: 2025-12-15

Wilgefortis – the old Polish patron saint of dreams and more

Radosław Lolo
Echa Przeszłości
Section: ARTICLES
https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.12146

Abstract

Wilgefortis, a female Catholic saint and a virgin martyr who grew a beard to avoid an un­wanted marriage to a pagan king, is a partly legendary figure. The article draws upon martyrological and hagiographic sources to analyze the beginnings of the widespread cult of Wilgefortis in Latin Europe. It also explores the iconographic tradition surrounding the folk saint. The author discusses the beginnings of the modest cult of Wilgefortis on Polish territory, from the oldest and hitherto misinterpreted painting by Kasper Kurcz in Cracow (1605) to the foundations established by Bishop Andrzej Stanisław Kostka Załuski in Pułtusk and Berestechko.

Keywords:

Wilgefortis, Kümmernis, Uncumber, cult of saints in Poland, centuries, Bishop Andrzej Stanisław Kostka Załuski

Download files

Citation rules

Lolo, R. (2025). Wilgefortis – the old Polish patron saint of dreams and more. Echa Przeszłości, (XXVI/2), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.12146

Cited by / Share

This website uses cookies for proper operation, in order to use the portal fully you must accept cookies.