When Polish Workers Were Renovating A Saint’s Tomb, They Made An Astonishing Discovery Inside

Workers are restoring the tomb of St. Jadwiga in Poland when they notice a slab that appears different. Curious, they decide to lift the section and find a cavity underneath filled with charcoal and plaster. And as the conservators begin to hack away at this mix, they discover the answer to a centuries-long mystery.

Come March 2020 conservation work was already underway at the Basilica of St. Jadwiga in the town of Trzebnica, south-west Poland. And the latest renovation had been ordered by leading clergy there who were worried that a small crack located on a stone sarcophagus could widen.

In any case, overall conservation efforts had been ongoing for a handful of years now. And over the course of that time, a number of unexpected discoveries had been made. In fact, someone who was there to witness many of them was Marek Długozima, the serving mayor of Trzebnica. He later summed up the finds on the town’s official website.

Yes, Długozima told the website in March 2020 , “From the very beginning I have been involved in renovation works carried out in recent years in the Basilica of Trzebnica, where there were many interesting and unexpected discoveries. A few years ago, during the renovation of the bell tower on the roof of the basilica, a time capsule was discovered.”

Długozima revealed that this so-called “time capsule” had contained “historical documents and old coins.” He added, “Many interesting discoveries were brought about by the renovation of the basilica floor, during which burial chambers with [17th century] burials of Cistercian sisters [and] clergy… were discovered.”

So it’s safe to say that the restoration work at the basilica had been a roaring success, even prior to March 2020. However, it was then that a discovery was made that could be considered even more important than the others. Not only was the find religiously significant, but it also had great historic value, particularly to the town of Trzebnica.

You see, Trzebnica has played a fascinating part in the history of Poland. The town lies in the historic region of Lower Silesia, which has exchanged hands between different kingdoms throughout the ages. And Trzebnica itself is known as the burial site of many Polish royals and their spouses.

As well as its royal connections, Trzebnica is also a religious center. Indeed, the town is home to the Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga, which is also known as Trzebnica Abbey. And this was originally founded by Hedwig of Andechs, a duchess, and her husband Henry I the Bearded, a member of Poland’s Silesian Piast dynasty. Just to avoid any historical confusion, you need to know that Hedwig in fact became “St. Jadwiga,” so it’s the same person.

According to legend, the abbey was founded after Duke Henry fell into a swamp when he was out hunting one day. As he struggled to free himself, he promised that he would build the sanctuary in exchange for being saved, possibly by a greater power. So when he survived his ordeal, he made good on his word.

With that in mind, the convent was eventually founded in 1203. And the first nuns to occupy the building were chosen by the Bishop of Bamberg, who was Hedwig’s brother. He picked sisters from the Cistercian order, who remained in place for a number of centuries, until around 1810.

For over three centuries after its 1203 founding, the convent’s abbesses were members of the Piast dynasty. And the second of these was Gertrude, one of Hedwig and Henry’s seven children. Following the death of Henry in 1238, Hedwig moved into the abbey and became a lay sister, although she didn’t take any vows.

But it seems that Hedwig had always been a deeply religious person. She was originally born in Bavaria, which was later incorporated into the Kingdom of Germany. And her family was extremely prominent, with one of her sisters marrying into the French royal family and another wedding King Andrew II of Hungary.

Meanwhile, Hedwig’s youngest sister Matilda went on to become the abbess at the Benedictine Abbey of Kitzingen in the Franconia region. Hedwig herself also attended the convent to receive her education. Furthermore, two of Hedwig’s brothers were bishops. So the family had a number of religious links.

Nevertheless, it was Hedwig who would go on to become the most pious of them all. Aged just 12, she married Henry, who in 1201 became Duke of Silesia. However, his reign wasn’t welcomed by some of his Piast relatives. You see, in 1229 Henry was detained at Płock Castle by his rival, Duke Konrad I of Masovia.

Showing her loyalty to Henry, Hedwig traveled to Płock and begged for her husband’s release. Her efforts were subsequently successful, and Konrad let Henry go. Just two years later, Henry became the Duke of Greater Poland and the following year he was named as the High Duke at Kraków.

After acquiring his new titles, Henry became the first in his family to rule over Silesia and the Duchy of Kraków. It meant that when he died in 1238 he was the High Duke to the whole of Poland, despite the country remaining divided. Nevertheless, Henry promoted peace within the whole region, even when the rest of Western Europe was experiencing considerable change.

Away from their political lives, Henry and Hedwig lived in accordance with their religious beliefs. And Hedwig in particular was extremely enthusiastic about her faith, being known for helping the poor, orphans and widows. Throughout her life, she founded hospitals to treat the lepers and the sick, and she gave all of her wealth to the church.

Thanks to her caring nature, Hedwig did her best to comfort everyone she met. In one example, she is said to have spent ten weeks teaching a poor woman to say the Our Father. Another legend claims that Hedwig went barefoot as a sign of her humility, to the disapproval of her husband Henry.

According to the story, Henry was so eager to prevent Hedwig from going barefoot that he instructed her confessor, the Bishop of Wrocław, to tell Hedwig to wear shoes. And to this she agreed. However, rather than placing them on her feet, she tied them to a string which she hung around her neck.

Anyway, after Henry’s death Hedwig reportedly accepted his passing with the help of her faith. She reportedly said, “Would you oppose the will of God? Our lives are his.” And, so she dedicated the remainder of her life to her religion, moving into the monastery and taking up the habit.

As part of her new life in the monastery, Hedwig used her influence to spread religion within the Silesia region. In fact, she invited clergymen to come and settle in the area from Germany, and an influx of migrants saw the emergence of new towns, cities, and villages, too.

While Hedwig devoted most of her life to religion, she was no stranger to heartbreak. You see, she and Henry produced several daughters but had just one surviving son. He would become known as Henry II the Pious but died during the Mongol invasion of Poland in 1241. Interestingly, it’s said that Hedwig pointed out her son’s body in the battlefield, but was not shocked as she’d been warned in a vision prior to the event.

Possibly to mark her son’s passing, Hedwig and her daughter-in-law, Anna of Bohemia, established a Benedictine abbey in Legnickie Pole – the site of the battle that claimed Henry II’s life. Following his death, any hopes of a united Poland were abandoned as the region fragmented further under different ruling houses.

And Hedwig eventually died in 1243, with the convent at Trzebnica subsequently becoming a place of pilgrimage. Furthermore, her resting place became famous for its reported miracles. As a result, Hedwig’s path to sainthood was established, and she was later canonized in 1267 by Pope Clement VI.

In the following years, Hedwig became one of Poland’s patron saints, and is popularly referred to as St. Jadwiga of Silesia. Mind you, some still call her St. Hedwig. And she is particularly revered in her former home of Trzebnica. According to the General Roman Calendar, her feast day is celebrated each year on October 16.

While relics of Hedwig were taken to St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin and Andechs Abbey in Bavaria, her body was originally laid to rest with her husband’s in Trzebnica Abbey. However, the exact location of her remains within the Abbey itself were lost in the ensuing centuries. That was until the renovation work of March 2020.

So as the restoration of St. Jadwiga’s tomb got underway, workers set themselves up to repair a crack in the sarcophagus. Now, the stone tomb in question hadn’t been there since the saint’s death. No, this effort actually dated from around the 1680s. In any case, as the conservators began, they noticed that one of the slabs appeared to be different from the others.

And further investigations only added to their intrigue. In fact, Dorota Wandrychowska told the Polish media site The First News, “When we lifted the slab we saw that charcoal mixed with plaster had been poured into a cavity, which was very strange. So we thought we had to check it out.”

Following this, the workers began chipping away at the black plaster mix with their tools. But little did they know that every inch they uncovered would bring them closer to an incredible discovery. Because as they dug, they eventually hit a metal object. As we’ll soon find out, it wasn’t just any object.

Indeed, wiping the dirt from the surface of their find, the conservators could see a glint of silver shining back at them. Removing the treasure from the cavity, the item was identified as a small casket. And on the box, was a golden coat of arms of Krystyna Katarzyna Pawłowska of Wierzbno, who was a priest in Trzebnica in the 17th-century.

However, it seems that the priest’s coat of arms was perhaps misleading. That’s because the casket was found not to contain his remains. But thankfully, a lead plaque that was found alongside the casket provided further insight into what – or rather who – it did contain.

That’s right, the Latin inscription on the plaque revealed that St. Hedwig of Silesia’s remains were inside the silver casket. Furthermore, they’d been placed there in the latter half of the 17th century. So you see, after centuries of mystery, St. Jadwiga had been found, and she was still in Trzebnica.

Therefore, it seems that St. Hedwig’s bones had been placed inside the silver casket and buried in the tomb some 340 years ago. However, there had been no historical records made detailing the exact location of her “new” burial spot. But experts had still believed it was somewhere inside the basilica.

Commenting on the significant find, Father Piotr Filas – one of the abbey’s priests – told The First News, “We knew that the saint’s bones were somewhere in the vicinity as they were laid there in 1679 when her tomb was built.” But confusingly still, the priest also revealed that the inscription on the casket was dated 1764.

Clarifying this, Fr. Filas added, “We believe that nobody has taken a look at the bones since that date.” As a result, he felt the timing of the discovery was significant. Fr. Filas explained, “I think it is a sign for us that she can be a patron for our modern times.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Długozima marked the occasion himself with a post on Trzebnica’s official website. He said, “For me, it is a great personal experience and historical event. I am very happy that I could participate in this important discovery, for which I thank Father [Filas] very much.”

Długozima went on to describe the “richly decorated sarcophagus from the 17th century” in which St. Hedwig’s remains were discovered. And referring to her by her Polish name, the mayor added, “St. Jadwiga has a special place in my heart, which I have expressed many times.”

Now, the discovery of Hedwig’s remains was made all the more poignant for Długozima as he had made her the patron saint of Trzebnica. And to celebrate the find, he shared several images from the restoration work on the town’s basilica on Facebook. The album has since received close to 300 reactions.

So it seems that Długozima’s joy in locating Hedwig’s remains was shared by others on social media. Commenting on the mayor’s Facebook post, one user wrote, “I’m very impressed. Beautiful, [a] great discovery, moving even. As you can see, it wasn’t a coincidence that you made [her] the patron saint of the city.”

Following the discovery, St. Hedwig’s remains were sent for analysis along with the casket they’d been found in. It’s not yet clear what will happen to the relics when examinations are complete. But no matter where they end up, Hedwig will forever be linked to Trzebnica.