Marcin Polak of Opava and the plaque dedicated to him in Bologna

Martin Polak of Opava is a figure surrounded by an aura of mystery. What is certain is that he was the author of an extremely widely read chronicle that became popular all over the world. He also held a high position in the Vatican, something that very few Poles in the medieval era managed to do. We should add that there is now a plaque commemorating him in Bologna.

Marcin Polak (1215/1220-1278) was one of the most eminent Poles of his time . A native of Silesian Opava , he was Archbishop of Gniezno, a Dominican and historiographer . He worked in the Roman Curia as a papal chaplain and penitentiary of Alexander IV, and later also of subsequent popes. He thus fulfilled the role of a clergyman who had the right to grant absolution in the case of the gravest sins.

The monk became famous for his 'Chronicle of Popes and Emperors', which became a real bestseller among the general history books of the time and could be found in all major libraries of the time. It was most likely written in Rome and translated into French, German and even Armenian and Persian, among other languages. The Dominican created it at the request of Pope Clement IV and perfected it for the rest of his life.
However, Martin Pole's achievements do not end there. As it turns out, he was also the author of the compendium of canonical knowledge 'Margarita Decreti' and a collection of sermons created for Dominicans - 'Sermones de tempore et de sanctis cum promptuario exemplorum'.

In 1278, Martin of Opava was appointed Archbishop of Gniezno, but he did not enjoy his position for too long - he died shortly afterwards in Bologna, on his way to Gniezno. Today, he rests in the Church of St Dominic in the aforementioned village. There is a plaque dedicated to him in the cloister of this building . White marble was used to create it and its dimensions are 65 x 50 cm. It probably dates from the first half of the 18th century, when a major reconstruction of the church was carried out and the history of the Order was then passionately studied.