Z Kielc czy z Kielczy? O pochodzeniu Wincentego, hagiografa św. Stanisława

Abstract

Of Kielce or Kielcza? On the origins of Wincenty, the hagiographer of St. Stanislaus The author of the article presents the historiographical disputes that have arisen over the question of the place of birth of the Dominican Wincenty, the first hagiographer of St. Stanislaus. According to the classic hypothesis, formulated and documented in the first biography of Wincenty by Tadeusz Wojciechowski (1885), the hagiographer was said to have been born in Kielce, on the estate of the Bishops of Cracow in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. However, most contemporary scholars favour an alternative concept, formulated by Gerard Labuda (1983), according to which Wincenty was born in Kielcza, a village in Upper Silesia. In the article the author discusses the limited source basis of the two hypotheses. In addition, he examines the evolution and reception of these views in later historiography, noting the various errors, simplifications and overinterpretations committed by researchers. The author of the article argues that the concept whereby Wincenty came from Silesian Kielcza was created in isolation from the sources and is based on the convoluted conjectures of its creator. G. Labuda created the figure of Wincenty of Kielcza as part of a broader reflection aimed at proving the hypothesis concerning the existence of the so-called lost Dominican chronicle from the thirteenth century, apparently written by Wincenty. The very concept of a lost Dominican chronicle remains the subject of intense criticism in contemporary historiography. Although the final resolution of the dispute over Wincenty’s birthplace seems impossible, the author of the article argues that in the light of known source-based circumstantial evidence and arguments, the original interpretation, which has Wincenty born in Kielce, remains more convincing. However, it should still be regarded only as a hypothesis.