'Grandpa' Remembered
Yesterday saw the seventieth anniversary of the death of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, one of the most legendary figures in all Polish history. The Marshal passed away on 12th May 1935. He was buried in the crypts beneath Wawel Cathedral five days later. On that day, President Ignacy Moscicki declared:
'The spirits of the Kings are gaining a worthy comrade in their eternal sleep. No crown adorns his temple, his hand holds no sceptre. But he was king of our hearts and ruler of our will. Through half a century of his life’s toil, he took into his possession heart after heart, soul after soul, until he drew the whole of Poland under the purple of his royal spirit..... He gave Poland freedom, boundaries, power and respect…”
The tributes began yesterday with a mass at the Franciscan Church. From there the participants proceeded to the Katyn cross at the foot of the Royal Castle where they offered prayers to Polish victims of Soviet war crimes in the east.
The commemoration culminated at the crypt where Pilsudski was laid to rest. Wreaths were laid, and more prayers were offered for the soul of the Marshal.
Jozef Pilsudski emerged as Poland's champion during the First World War, when he commanded Austria's Polish legions in the fight against Russia.
Following the rebirth of Poland at the close of the Great War, Pilsudski triumphed over the Soviets in the Polish-Russian War. The so-called 'Cud nad Wisla' (Miracle on the Vistula) saw the Red Army repulsed from the gates of Warsaw.
Initially a socialist, Pilsudski grew disillusioned with the corruption of the fledgling Polish government and in 1926 he launched a military coup. '' If you're going by tram, the socialist line ends at the independence stop' he remarked. From henceforth he took a rather autocratic line until his death in 1935.
Owing to the fact that the Marshal had married twice, the Church opposed the bid for his entombment in the holiest crypt of Wawel Cathedral (the altar is the fountain of grace, and those closest to it are in the most agreeable position). Archbishop and hereditary Prince Adam Sapieha terminated the unseemly debate with the well-known quote 'Silence over this tomb!'. The expression has since become commonplace. Pilsudski was awarded his own crypt at a corner of the southernmost elevation of the cathedral.
To this day, Pilsudski inspires the kind of respect that the English have for Winston Churchill. Some of his actions still inspire heated debate, but his reputation as the nation's 'grandpa' has not diminished.