What religion was Poland before Christianity?

In Poland, the first significant step towards the return of the Slavic faith was an ethnographer, Zorian Dołęga-Chodakowski, and his 1818 book About Slavic Faith Before Christianity. He was the first one in centuries to publicly declare himself a pagan and condemn the whole Christianisation process.

When was Poland pagan?

1030s
The pagan reaction in Poland (Polish: Reakcja pogańska w Polsce) was a series of events in the Kingdom of Poland in the 1030s that culminated in a popular uprising or rebellion, or possibly a series of these, that destabilized the Kingdom of Poland.

Are there any Slavic pagans left?

Many traces of slavic paganism are left in Western European toponymy, including the names of settlements, rivers, mountains, and villages.

When was Christianity introduced to Poland?

Svetovid was among the most widespread pagan gods worshiped in Poland. Christianity arrived around the late 9th century, most likely around the time when the Vistulan tribe encountered the Christian rite in dealings with their neighbors, the Great Moravia (Bohemian) state.

Why does Poland have so many churches?

In the 1980s, over 1000 churches were built in Poland. Snopek believes this is linked to two factors: “The first thing that happened is that a person from a Communist country with ‘no religion’ was chosen as leader of the Catholic church, and second, the Solidarity protest—the regime loses its legitimacy.

Who is the god of Poland?

While officially the Polish Native Church recognises the highest god to be Świętowit, other names from the highest circles of the Slavic pantheon are commonly used (such as Perun or Swaróg); members of the Polish Native Church assume that the Highest God will always remain the highest deity irrespective of the name …

Who do the Polish worship?

There is no official religion in Poland. The Roman Catholic Church is the biggest church in Poland. The overwhelming majority (around 87%) of the population are Roman-Catholic if the number of the baptised is taken as the criterion (33 million of baptised people in 2013).

Who converted Poland to Christianity?

Duke Mieszko
The Encyclopedia Americana (1963) states in its article signed by Jan Librach: “The recorded history of Poland begins in 966+ (+Some autho rities say 963), when Duke Mieszko, who about 960 had united under his suzerainty several tribal principalities along the Vistula and Oder rivers, was converted to Christianity.” ( …

Where did the first Polish people come from?

It has been suggested that the early Slavic peoples and languages may have originated in the region of Polesia, which includes the area around the Belarus–Ukraine border, parts of Western Russia, and parts of far Eastern Poland.

Are Polish Roman Catholic?

Churches of all denominations and the State are independent and autonomous. There is no official religion in Poland. The Roman Catholic Church is the biggest church in Poland.