Bogurodzica

Bogurodzica (Polish pronunciation: [bɔɡurɔˈd͡ʑit͡sa], Mother of God) is the oldest Polish hymn. It was composed somewhere between the 10th and 13th centuries. While the origin of the song is not entirely clear, several scholars agree that Adalbert of Prague is the likely author.

Polish knights sang it as an anthem before the Battle of Grunwald. Bogurodzica also accompanied the coronation ceremonies of the first Jagiellonian kings.

History

It was recorded in writing at the beginning of the 15th century. Two records preserved till today date back to that time:

Other records date back to the second half of the fifteenth century, the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and to the beginning of the 16th century. In 1509 the song was printed in Kraków in Jan Łaski's Statut.

The origin of the song is not clear, although St Adalbert is a likely author. It used to be related either to Latin liturgy, the tradition of church hymns, Greek or Old Church Slavonic influences, Western or Eastern culture. The two initial stanzas were created first - probably in the middle or at the end of the thirteenth century, or possibly at the very beginning of the fourteenth century.