Gallery VI

unknown artist

after 1592 

The collection of Maciej Radziwiłł

 

Jerzy Radziwiłł was the son of Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black, Voivode of Vilnius, and Elżbieta Szydłowiecka, brother of Mikołaj Krzysztof the Orphan. He converted from Calvinism thanks to Father Piotr Skarga. He became bishop of Vilnius in 1581, was diocesan bishop of Kraków from 1591-1600, and governor of Livonia from 1582. As a diplomat, he made a name for himself with a mission to Rome in 1591, while on his return trip he represented the Holy See as legate of Clement VIII at the wedding of Sigismund III to Anne of Styria. He took part in the conclave twice (1591 - resulting in the election of Innocent IX and in 1592 - resulting in the election of Clement VIII). In 1600 he travelled to Rome for the jubilee celebrations, where he died after a brief illness. He was buried in Rome in the Il Gesù Church. In 1900, the family sponsored a monument to Cardinal Radziwiłł in the Wawel Basilica. The sculpture was made by Pius Weloński and can be found in the Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, otherwise known as the Szafraniec Chapel.