Karnkowski, Stanislaw
KARNKOWSKI, STANISLAW
Archbishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland 1581–1603; b. May 10, 1520; d. Lowicz, Poland, June 8,1603. In 1567, he was appointed bishop of Włocławek. Here he began his life–long effort to revivify Catholic life and worship. Karnkowski summoned a diocesan synod in 1568 to implement the Tridentine reforms. As a patron of the Jesuits, he aided their work, and it was with his encouragement that Jacob Wujek, SJ, translated the Bible into Polish. Karnkowski also founded seminaries in Gniezno and Kalisz as centers of reform. In 1579 he made a collection of synodal laws published as the Constitutiones synodorum metropolitanae ecclesiae Gneznensis provincialium. Politically, he favored Henry of Valois as king of Poland; later on, he also supported Stephen bÁ thory and Sigismund III Vasa who became kings of Poland during his lifetime. Karnkowski's vigorous leadership and support of reform did much to strengthen the church and reclaim many for Catholicism in the second half of the 16th century.
Bibliography: Cambridge History of Poland, ed. w. f. reddaway et al., 2 v. (Cambridge, Eng. 1941–50). b. stasiewski, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 vol. (2nd ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 5:1372–73.
[f. j. ladowicz]