Błogosławieństwo nowego króla i królowej w Pontificale Plocense I
The Rite of Blessing of a New King and Queen in Pontificale Plocense I

Summary/Abstract: The blessing rite of the new king in Pontificale Plocense I is a compilation of mid-10th century texts. Perhaps this very ritual was used in Poland’s first coronations. The ritual makes it known that it is God who gives power. The sacred nature of royal majesty is strengthened by comparisons with the figures of Biblical kings, prophets and priests, as well as the reference made to Jesus Christ. In the rite one can feel a deep concern for maintaining the balance between the high dignity of royal power and keeping it within proper limits. Through the Church, through the “humble ministry of the bishops,” the ruler receives the crown and the royal sacrament, which puts him in between the clergy and the people. Since his power is only external, it is lower than that of the priest (bishop). The king’s service to the Church and the sphere of spiritual life is limited to the defence and protection of the Christian faith and the administrative and economic support of churches and monasteries. While the bishop is a mediator between the people and God, the king is a mediator between the people and the clergy. The rite of the blessing of the Queen makes it clear that God, the Fountain and Beginning of all goodness, is far “from condemnation and aversion from the fragility of the weaker sex.”

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