KOŚCIÓŁ NA ZACHODZIE A SZACHY, CZYLI SACRUM I PROFANUM W GRZE KRÓLEWSKIEJ

Dariusz Kowalczyk

Abstract

Games are an element of culture, and in the same time, they are one of its sources.
Chess, often referred to as the “King’s Game”, has a special place among games. Its long history is
intertwined with the history of the Church in the West, especially in the period from the 11th to the
16th century. On the one hand, there was a number of Church verdicts condemning the game of
chess, as it was sometimes connected with gambling; moreover, it was time-consuming and distracted
people from their obligations. On the other hand, the clergy, including bishops and popes, enjoyed
playing chess, seeing it not only as a noble pastime, but also as a metaphor of the social order
and the fate of individuals. In the 11th century, Cardinal Peter Damian severely criticized the game
of chess in a letter to Pope Alexander II. Distinguished preachers, such as Bernardino of Siena and
Girolamo Savonarola, condemned spending time on games, including chess. However, in the same
time, numerous morality pieces were written, in which the King’s Game was regarded as deserving
serious philosophical and theological considerations. The most famous work was the treatise entitled
De ludo scachorum, written by Jacobus de Cessolis, an Italian Dominican monk (approx. death date:
1322). It can be assumed that chess was finally rehabilitated during the pontificate of Pope Leo X,
who was an avid chess player himself. Teresa of Ávila, who was named a patron of chess players, in
her Way of Perfection makes analogies between chess and spiritual life. Even now, although chess
has been “secularised” (profanum), it is sometimes a starting point for considerations about human
and God (sacrum).