Happy Birthday to Eugeniusz M. Kazimirowski
On November 11, 1873, Eugeniusz M. Kazimirowski was born in Wygnanka, a small and obscure village in Poland. He studied painting in places to which only the best painted at the time would travel, including Florence, Warsaw, Rome, Krakow, and finally he settled in Vilnius (Lithuania). After escaping Vilnius, he spent his final years in Białystok (Poland), where he died on September 23, 1939, just a few days after the invasion of the German Army and then the Soviet Army. He lived (and died) on the main floor of a tenement house which is now a beautiful hotel and where pilgrims stay when traveling with Divine Mercy Tours.
The Catholic Intelligentsia Club in Białystok installed a commemorative plaque on the side of the building earlier this year but its official dedication took place yesterday, the eve of Poland’s Veterans Day.
Archbishop Józef Guzdek, Metropolitan of Białystok says iin is up to the people to determine the beauty an history of Białystok. About the plaque he said, “Visitors will stop in front of this plaque, and at least some will decide to dive deeper into the history of this historical figure.” This deeper dive will lead to the Original Image of Divine Mercy and all of its meaning and significance - not to mention its location (Vilnius, Lithuania).
The few remaining pieces of artwork that survived have been in museums for many years. Although recently, with the resurgence of the Original Image of Divine Mercy, he has become known as the artist who worked with St. Faustina dn Bl. Fr. Michał Sopoćko on this great masterpiece, he has been a celebrated artist in the broader region for his other works.
There is much to say about Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, but nothing could substitute for a visit to Białystok, and in particular, a stop in the Historical Museum to see his collection.
It is worth noting a long-standing rumor about Kazimirowski - that he died by suicide in 1939, a fictitious story that has been perpetuated by many for several reasons (reasons we will cover in an upcoming podcast). As difficult as it is to set right a reputation that has been lied about, we will not stop defending the honor of this fine human being.
In 2019, the film Love and Mercy: Faustina, Eugeniusz Kazimirowski was sadly portrayed as a suicidal and cranky curmudgeon. The film was directed by Michał Kondrat and promoted by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in Stockbridge as well as by other US based Catholic media outlets. This was hardly an accurate depiction of Kazimirowski. A basic study of his life should have happened before such a portrayal/betrayal. Kazimirowski was a charitable man, a teacher of students young and old, and a friend of Blessed Fr. Michael Sopoćko. Jesus Himself, through Sopoćko, chose Kazimirowski to paint His own image for all the world to see and venerate his Divine Mercy.
"Tell your confessor (Sopoćko) that the painting is to be on display in the sanctuary and not hidden within the cloister of the convent. Through this Image I will grant many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it." ~ Jesus to St. Faustina
Although Eugeniusz Kazimirowski ended his work with Sr. Faustina after 6 months due to other commissions he had pending (ask any working artist how this works), he was initially willing to, and did, follow her every instruction and detail. Imagine the level of docility (and this is key) for an artist to be willing to accept the task of allowing a non-artist to stand behind him and tell him how to do his work. There are and will be other more accurate depictions of this legendary artist in the future. For now, know this: Eugeniusz Kazimirowski was dearly loved by both Michael Sopoćko and Sr. Faustina.
More about the dedication of the memorial plaque is HERE.