Editing Andrew Bobola (section)

==Life==
The progenitor of the Bobola family is believed to have been Bobola, who lived in the first half of the 13th century in Silesia. He was a subject of Duke [[Henry the Bearded]] and a łązęka—a free peasant farmer. It is possible that he was already granted knightly status and the [[Leliwa coat of arms]]. He certainly founded the family seat in [[Bobolice, Lower Silesian Voivodeship|Bobolice]].{{Sfn|Popłatek|1936|p=18}} However, only a few decades later, his heirs lost Bobolice to the Cistercians from Henryków for [[Raubritter|raubritterism]].{{Sfn|Popłatek|1936|p=18}}

In the first half of the 14th century, the Bobola family appears in the circle of the powerful [[Tarnowski family]], also bearing the Leliwa coat of arms, as well as at the Polish royal court, where they gained considerable influence.{{Sfn|Popłatek|1936|p=19}} Over time, the family expanded, although many of its branches maintained a middle-class status.{{Sfn|Popłatek|1936|p=19-20}}

The exact origins of Andrew Bobola were a matter of controversy, as various armorials and biographies offered conflicting accounts.{{Sfn|Popłatek|1936|p=295-296}}

According to Father Jan Poplatek, a Jesuit and researcher of the saint's life, Andrew Bobola came from a more prominent branch of the Bobola family. His grandfather was said to be Jan Bobola of Piaski, the administrator of [[Jarosław]], owner of several villages, and holder of a house in the [[Podgórze]], near [[Kraków]]. This property was reportedly granted to him in recognition of his services by Kings [[John I Albert]] and [[Alexander Jagiellon]].{{Sfn|Popłatek|1936|p=298-299}}

Jan had several children, among them Krzysztof, who, from his marriage to Elżbieta Wielopolska, had three sons: Jan, Andrzej, and Mikołaj. Andrzej achieved the highest position, becoming the Grand Chamberlain of the Crown and a royal secretary. Jan was a landowner and the father of, among others, Sebastian, a Jesuit and university professor, and Kacper, a canon of Kraków and royal secretary. The third brother, Mikołaj, heir to the estate of Strachocina near Krosno, was the father of Saint Andrew Bobola.{{Sfn|Popłatek|1936|p=26}}

Bobola was born in 1591 into a noble family in the [[Sandomierz Voivodeship]] of the [[Kingdom of Poland]], then a constituent part of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. In 1611 he entered the [[Society of Jesus]] in [[Vilnius]], then in the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], the other part of the Commonwealth. He subsequently [[profession (religious)|professed]] [[solemn vows]] and was [[Holy orders|ordained]] in 1622, after which he served for several years as an advisor, preacher, superior of a Jesuit residence, and other jobs in various places.<ref name="CE">{{Catholic |wstitle=St. Andrew Bobola |first=F. M. |last=Rudge |volume=1}}</ref>

From 1652 Bobola also worked as a country "missionary", in various locations of Lithuania: these included [[Polotsk]], where he was probably stationed in 1655, and also [[Pinsk]], (both now in [[Belarus]]). On 16 May 1657, during the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]], he was captured in Pinsk, and then killed in the village of Janów (now [[Ivanava]], Belarus), by the [[Cossacks]] of [[Bohdan Chmielnicki]].<ref name="CE" />

Several descriptions of Bobola's death exist, with these invariably involving him being subjected to a variety of tortures before being killed:
*One account states that Bobola "had just offered up the [[Eucharist in the Catholic Church|holy sacrifice]]" when the Cossacks entered Pinsk; upon seeing them, he believed his death to be imminent and thus "fell upon his knees, raised his eyes and his hands [and] exclaimed, 'Lord, thy will be done!'". He was then captured and stripped of his habit, tied to a tree, and had a crown placed on his head, after which he was scourged, burnt with torches, and had an eye torn out; a sword was used to carve shapes resembling a [[tonsure]] and a [[chasuble]] into his head and his back respectively. The Cossacks also removed the skin from his fingers and forcibly inserted needles under his fingernails. Bobola continuously prayed for his torturers until his tongue was torn out and his head crushed, thereby killing him.<ref>{{cite book |last=Daurignac  |first=J. M. S. |title =History of the Society of Jesus From Its Foundations to the Present Time (Volume II) |publisher=John P. Walsh |year=1865  |pages=12–13 |url=https://archive.org/stream/societyofjesus02dauruoft#page/n17/mode/2up/search/bobola }}</ref>
*A second account states that the Cossacks first tried to make Bobola renounce his religion; when he refused, he was stripped, tied to a hedge, and whipped. A crown of twigs was mockingly placed on his head and he was then dragged to a butcher's shop where, after continued refusals to renounce his faith, the skin was torn off his chest and back and holes were cut into his palms. Bobola was subjected to further tortures for two hours before having an awl driven into his heart, being strung up by his feet, and being killed with a sabre just as a Polish rescue party entered Janów.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.standrewbobola.com/who-is-st-andrew-bobola|title=Who is St. Andrew Bobola? - St. Andrew Bobola Parish, Dudley, MA|website=www.standrewbobola.com|language=en-gb|access-date=21 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104090851/http://www.standrewbobola.com/who-is-st-andrew-bobola|archive-date=4 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*A third account states that Bobola was seized and severely beaten by two Cossacks who then tied him to their saddles in order to take him to Janów; there, he was subjected to tortures including burning, strangulation, and flaying, before finally being killed with a sabre.<ref name="CE" />
In contrast to the above, a Russian examination of Bobola's corpse in January 1923 found no traces of gross mechanical violence on the surviving parts of the corpse that could establish cause of death.<ref name=russian>[[s:ru:Акты о вскрытии так называемых мощей католического святого Андрея Боболи. Протокол|Акты о вскрытии так называемых мощей католического святого Андрея Боболи. Протокол]]</ref>