The 250
th
Anniversary
of the Order of Saint Stanislas
A 250 th anniversary is a landmark in the history of an
organization. Today we can celebrate such an
anniversary.
To understand the identity and inner purpose of the
historic Order of St. Stanislas, one must look at the
historical events since the founding period. The name
of our organization has a real meaning and a real
character. The newly founded Order of Polish Knights
bears the name of a cruelly tortured Polish saint.
The Royal Order of St. Stanislas was founded for the
higher nobility by the last Polish King, Stanisław August
Poniatowski, on the 7th May 1756.
The Order's Royal Award, the Order of St. Stanislas,
was awarded for charitable merit. Only 100 people
could be members of this Order according to the
founder ́s intention.
King Poniatowski created with the religious Order a
society form, in which the opportunity was offered to
know and appreciate in practice the unified,
constructive power of harmonious action. The nobility
- and under the nobility the Knights in each Order -
should be an example of a real human, especially for
the lower strata of the peasant and peasantry.
The first objectives of the Order of Knights by its
formation in 1765 was the maintenance and
expansion of the Krakow Library and the assistance of
regular payments to the local hospital "To the Infant
Jesus".They should help the poor people and the people who
are wronged. According to the statutes of the Order
each member should pay 25 red zloty for the award of
the Order, then four zlotys a year for the Hospital "To
the Infant Jesus” and two zloty for the Order's Office.
For All Saints' Day the knights should donate a zloty for
the Mass within eight days; the knights should swear
faithfulness to the king and the homeland till death;
they should help the poor and the people who are
wronged.Each candidate had to provide the aristocracy proof
and proof of arms - paternal and maternal - of at least
four generations. Over time this point of congestion
was eased, as there was a great demand for awarding
the Order not only to aristocratic circles. To be able to
live a frugal life, one can make life even more difficult
for the weaker ones; however, one never gets great
with this intention. To show greatness, to become
truly soul-sized on the other hand means not to
oppress other people, but to give help from the heart.Royal Monogram of King Stanislaus II Augustus of Poland