33 Facts About Saint Casimir

At the age of 13, Saint Casimir participated in the failed military campaign to install him as King of Hungary.

Saint Casimir became known for his piety, devotion to God, and generosity towards the sick and poor.

Saint Casimir became ill and died at the age of 25.

Saint Casimir's canonization was initiated by his brother King Sigismund I the Old in 1514 and the tradition holds that he was canonized in 1521.

Veneration of Casimir saw a resurgence in the 17th century when his feast day was confirmed by the pope in 1602 and the dedicated Chapel of Saint Casimir was completed in 1636.

Women's congregation Sisters of Saint Casimir was established in 1908 and remains active in the United States.

Saint Casimir was the third child and the second son of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Saint Casimir IV and Queen Elisabeth Habsburg of Austria.

Saint Casimir was a polyglot and knew Lithuanian, Polish, German and Latin languages.

King Saint Casimir IV decided to install his son, Saint Casimir, in Hungary.

In 1474, the Italian merchant and traveler Ambrogio Contarini met with Prince Saint Casimir and was impressed by his wisdom.

Prince Saint Casimir completed his formal education at age 16 and spent most of his time with his father.

In 1476, Prince Saint Casimir accompanied his father to Royal Prussia where he tried to resolve the conflict with the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia.

In 1478 Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania demanded that King Saint Casimir IV leave either Prince Saint Casimir or Prince John I Albert in Lithuania as a regent.

King Saint Casimir IV feared separatist moods and refused, but after settling the conflict in Prussia, moved to Vilnius.

The plan was discovered and Prince Saint Casimir, perhaps fearing for his safety, was sent to Poland to act as vice-regent.

Saint Casimir's remains were interred in Vilnius Cathedral, where the dedicated Saint Casimir's Chapel was built in 1636.

Zacharias Ferreri wrote that Saint Casimir composed a prayer in hexameter on Christ's incarnation but this text has not survived.

One of the first miracles attributed to Saint Casimir was his appearance before the Lithuanian army during the Siege of Polotsk in 1518.

Saint Casimir showed where Lithuanian troops could safely cross the Daugava River and relieve the city, besieged by the army of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

However, Saint Casimir was included in the first Roman Martyrology, published in 1583.

The cause of Saint Casimir's cult was taken up by the new Bishop of Vilnius Benedykt Woyna.

Saint Casimir sent canon Gregorius Swiecicki to Rome with a letter from King Sigismund III Vasa requesting to add the feast of Casimir to the Roman Breviary and Roman Missal.

The brief mentioned that Casimir was added to the ranks of saints by Pope Leo X In the absence of any earlier known papal document explicitly mentioning Casimir as saint, the brief is often cited as Casimir's canonization.

The coffin of Saint Casimir was taken out of the crypt and elevated to the altar.

Saint Casimir's painting in Vilnius Cathedral is considered to be miraculous.

Saint Casimir is usually depicted as a young man in long red robe lined with stoat fur.

Saint Casimir might hold a cross, a rosary, or a book with words from Omni die dic Mariae.

The towns of Kvedarna and Nemunaitis in Lithuania have Saint Casimir depicted on their coat of arms.

Saint Casimir was buried in the crypt under the Royal Chapel of Vilnius Cathedral, constructed by his father in the Gothic style in 1474.

Many more relics of Saint Casimir can be found in local churches.

Saint Casimir found 12 churches in Lithuania, 48 churches and 5 chapels in Poland, 23 Lithuanian and 36 Polish churches in United States, five churches in Canada, two churches in United Kingdom, and two churches in Belarus.

The women's congregation Sisters of Saint Casimir was established in 1908 by Maria Kaupas and is active in the United States.

In 1945, the College of Saint Casimir was established in Rome to educate Lithuanian priests who fled west after World War II.