Poland agrees to Hungarian request for part of the remains of Saint Jadwiga

Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, has agreed to a request by Hungarian archbishop Istvan Seregely for a part of the bodily remains of Poland's only queen regnant, Saint Jadwiga. "This is our common queen. The cardinal had nothing against the request," said Fr. Andrzej Fryzlewicz, the cardinal's chaplain. The daughter of King Ludwik I of Poland and Hungary, Jadwiga was the only queen regnant in Poland's history, coming to the throne in 1385 at the age of just 11. She then married the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Wladyslaw Jagiello, and from their union began the Jagiellonian dynasty. Jadwiga died in 1399 and was buried in Wawel cathedral in Krakow. The process of her canonization began in 1426, and she was raised to sainthood in recognition of her charitable activities. She founded the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland's first university. Hungary will receive a piece of bone from her ring finger. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4) T.J.