Folia Historica 28. (Budapest, 2013)

II. KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Ewa Letkiewicz: The Hungarian King's Daughter Kinga's 13th Century Jewel in Polish Collections

hairstyles the rest of semi-long hair was rolled up under the tight cap or arranged in a horizontal roll on the neck, visible from under the cap.30 These details of the fashion of the time allow for dating the Stary Sqcz gem to the 13th century.

The features of the man's figure from the jewel of S3.cz, such as high, convex forehead, connecting with the nose in an 'S' line, and an absolutely unmarked face muscles contour are typical of the interpretation of human body observed in the art of that time, whereas marking on an ä 1'antique type of gem such a detail as a cap indicates that here we are dealing with a portrait. The question arises here: whose image can be presented on the gem that found itself in a Poor Clare's Sisters' convent and despite the historical turmoils it survived for more than 700 years.

In answering this question referring to the figure and life of St. Kinga, the alleged owner of the Sqcz valuables turned out to be helpful.

Kinga was born on the 5th day of March 1234 in a royal family. Her father was Bela IV, the king of Hungary, mother - Maria Laskaris, daughter of Theodor I, Emperor of Constantinople. Princess Kinga, who was given an enormous dowry, arrived to Poland at the age of five and was designed to be the wife of twelve-year-old Boleslaw, the later Boleslaw V Shy.31

After her wedding to Boleslaw Kinga led an ascetic and pious life. Since her youngest years she was strongly influenced by the Franciscan idea of poverty, humbleness, renouncement of the world's vanities. She had learned about this idea already in her parents' court in Hungary.32 She chose St. Francis (1182-1226), the founder of 1st Monastery, as her spiritual father, joining - already when her husband was still alive - the St. Francis's Penitents' Convent - 3rd Convent of Lay tertiaries, the members of which had already been her parents, king Bela's sister - St. Elisabeth of Turing, Kinga's mother in law - Grzymislawa and Duchess Salomea - sister of Boleslaw the Shy, one of the most important propagator of St. Francis's order in Poland.33

Kinga was known from her piety, numerous foundations for the benefit of the Church. The most important of them became the Poor Clare's Sisters' - Poor Ladies' Convent in Stary Sqcz, also called the 2nd St. Francis's Convent.34 In the Duchess's foundation charter we read: T have decided to establish and build the house of common life, that is the nunnery for the nuns of St. Clare's rule in the very town of Sqcz for the Glory of God and for the Worship of God's Mother St. Mary, as well as St. Francis, the famous Confessor.'35

30 Corson, R. op. cit. 100-102.

31 Witkowska, Maria Helena OSU: Vita Sanctae Kyngae Ducissae Cracoviensis jako zródlo histo- ryczne. Roczniki Humanistyczne 10. (1961) folio 2.41-166.112-113.

32 Niezgoda, Cecylian OFMConv: Swi^ta Kinga. Zywot hagiograficzny. Stary S^cz, 1999.36.

33 King Bela IV was strongly connected with the Franciscans. For their benefit he founded the monastery in Ostrzyhom, bringing the friars there about the year 1260. Idem op. cit. 21-22, 36.

34 Besala, Jerzy. Malzehstwa królewskie. Piastowie. Warsaw, 2006.192-193.

35 Zywot swi^tej Kingi ksi^znej krakowskiej. Translated: Boleslaw Przybyszewski. Tamów, 1997. 60.

48