Mikołaj Sapieha (1581–1644)

Mikołaj Sapieha
Coat of arms	Lis
Father	Mikołaj Sapieha (d. 1599)
Mother	Hanna Wiśniowiecka

Mikołaj Sapieha (Lithuanian: Mykalojus Sapiega, 1581–1644), known as Pobożny (Pious, Pius), of Lis coat of arms, was the Lithuanian Great Standard-Keeper (Chorąży wielki litewski, vexillifer) from 1625–1633, voivode (Voivode of Minsk (1638), Voivode of Brześć Litewski (1638–1642), castellan of Vilnius from 1642) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Family

Son of Mikołaj Sapieha; brother of Krzysztof Sapieha (1590–1637). Married to Jadwiga Anna Woyna (d. 1642) and Elżbieta Prusinowska (d. after 1648). Father of two sons (Kazimierz Melchiades Sapieha and Jan Ferdynand Sapieha) and three daughters (Halszka Sapieha (died 1661 or 1662), Teresa Sapieha and Joanna Petronela Sapieha).

Biography

Together with his brother Krzysztof studied in Europe, traveling in the years 1608–1613 to Vienna, Trier, Mainz, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Matla.

In 1613 they returned to their mansion in Kodeń. Mikołaj started a political carrier, being a deputy to Sejm in 1621 and member of the Lithuanian Tribunal in 1622. In years 1625–1631 he traveled abroad again, visiting Italy; during that time – according to a legend – he was miraculously cured and stole a Holy Painting from Rome. Took part in the funeral of the king Sigismund III Vasa in 1632, carrying the banner of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as the Lithuanian Great Standard-Keeper (Chorąży wielki litewski, vexillifer) (a post he held from 1625 till 1633). In 1634, elected the marshal of the Lithuanian Tribunal, welcomed the victorious Polish forces and the new king, Władysław IV Waza, returning from the Smolensk War. Sejm deputy in 1637 and 1638, voivode of Minsk briefly in 1638 (from July), before taking the post of voivode of Brześć Litewski in November that year. In 1642 he became the castellan of Vilnius, a post which he received for having supported the king against the Radziwiłł family.

Legend

According to a legend, this painting was stolen by Mikołaj Sapieha from Rome.

His nickname "Pious" originates from a the fact that he sponsored a church in Kodeń, and a related legend (disputed by some historians, and possibly invented by his grandgrandson, Jan Fryderyk Sapieha, who very likely presented a much colorized version of the real events). The legend states that he fell ill and took upon a pilgrimage to Rome. After seeing a Holy Painting of Madonna in a Papal private chapel, he had been miraculously cured. Afterward he decided to steal a Holy Painting of Madonna (now known as Our Lady of Kodeń, based on the Our Lady of Guadalupe) that he believed saved him, so that it could be enshrined in his new church in Kodeń; for that he was excommunicated by Pope Urban VIII. The excommunication was lifted in 1634 when Mikołaj agreed to represent papal interests and use his influence to oppose the marriage between King Władyslaw and a Protestant princess.

References

This article incorporates information from the revision as of 18 July 2007 of the equivalent article on the Polish Wikipedia.

• Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, Błogosławiona Wina, Warszawa 1953
• (Polish) Historia Sanktuarium i cudownego obrazu Matki Bożej Kodeńskiej

Persondata
Name	Sapieha, Mikolaj
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1581
Place of birth
Date of death	14 March 1644
Place of death