Saint Otto of Bamberg in Lubin
Saint Otto of Bamberg in Lubin
Saint Otto of Bamberg (1060-1139) came to Lubin as a 64-year-old bishop during his first Christianisation mission in Pomerania, which took place in 1124-1125. It took place at the invitation of the Polish prince, Bolesław Krzywousty, with the support of his subordinate Pomeranian prince, Warcisław I. However, before Bishop Otto reached Lubin, he first went to Pyrzyce in June 1124, where he baptised a large group of local citizens. This event initiated a long and difficult process commonly called the “Baptism of Pomerania”. Then, together with the clergy accompanying him and the prince’s entourage ensuring his safety, he went to Kamień Pomorski, where he effectively evangelised and baptised the whole population.
The next location for the Christianisation mission was Wolin, which was extremely unfriendly to Otto. There were violent demonstrations, during which Otto was hit with a large stick and fell into the mud. Ultimately, the people of Wolin decided that they would be baptised, provided that the people of Szczecin underwent their baptism first. So, the prudent Otto went to Szczecin, where, thanks to his passionate sermons and fervent prayer, he convinced the population to accept faith in the one God. With the political support of Prince Krzywousty, he managed to convince numerous highly influential residents to become baptised.
After successfully completing his missionary work in Szczecin, Otto set off in December of 1124 on the ship of a Szczecin merchant, Wyszak, to Lubin. Neither Świnoujście or Międzyzdroje existed at that time, but Lubin lreadyalready stood proudly on the hill, dubbed a stronghold by some and a town by others. In Lubin, surrounded by the waters of the Szczecin Lagoon and Lake Wicko Wielkie, there was a defensive guard town and two open settlements with a separate cemetery. The role of the guard town was to control navigation on the Świna River in order to protect the entrance to the Szczecin and Wolin castellania. It is important to note, at that time there was no Piast Canal and all large vessels had to pass through Świna near Lubin. In Lubin, Otto taught and baptised all citizens. According to sources, “He (Otto) performed the venerable sacraments of baptism in heated rooms and in warm water, maintaining the same splendour and decorum, using dug-in vats and curtains, also sprinkling everything with incense and other spices“. The Apostle of Pomerania built a church in Lubin and left behind a priest to offer pastoral service, thus giving rise to the local Roman Catholic parish. The ruins of this church were discovered as part of archaeological works carried out in 2008 in Grodzisko in Lubin by a team lead by Professor Marian Rębkowski.
From Lubin, Otto went to Wolin, where he happily completed the work he had begun, baptising many inhabitants of this important city at that time.
The study uses the book by G. Wejman, Bishop Otto of Bamberg in the space of the Pomeranian Church, Szczecin 2021.