Wincenty Kadłubek (Latin: Vincentius Cadlubkonis; c. 1150 – 8 March 1223) was a Polish Catholic prelate and professed Cistercian who served as the Bishop of Kraków from 1208 until his resignation in 1218.

[2][1] His episcopal mission was to reform the diocesan priests to ensure their holiness and invigorate the faithful and cultivate greater participation in ecclesial affairs on their part.

[4] He was also a lawyer, historian, church reformer, monk, magister, and the father of Polish culture and national identity.

[6] Eleventh and Twelfth century Poland was a complicated and turbulent place, shaping Kadłubek's works and life.

Some sources suggest that he met the future Pope Innocent III at Bologna when the two were students[5] and it was further said he once encountered John of Salisbury.

Pope Innocent III had to take action because the Krakow Chapter could not decide between Kadłubek and Bishop Gedko of Plok.

[5] Pope Innocent III confirmed the decision in a papal bull on 28 March 1208 and Kadłubek received his episcopal consecration from the Archbishop of Gniezno two months later.

He set out to reform the diocesan priesthood to ensure their holiness while also seeking to invigorate the faithful to active participation in ecclesial affairs.

Yet, it was while in Europe that he started reading into the life and works of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and became enthralled with the charism of the Cistercians whom he granted favors to as bishop.

[1] He followed Gallus Anonymus in further developing the idea of the Latin proverb "vox populi vox dei" ("the voice of the people is the voice of God") and argued that the ruler (king) should follow a council that includes bishops and representatives of clans since not the ruler but the council has higher power originating from the laws that God instituted.

This also made him the first Polish person in the Cistercian monastery in Jędrzejów, which was composed of exclusively French monks at the time.

The fire of the Jędrzejów monastery in 1800 in combination with the turbulence of Polish history at the time makes it difficult to understand the remaining years of his life.

[6] Kadlubek died on March 8, 1223, retaining his bishop's pallium, buried in the Jędrzejów monastery,[5] his remains were interred before the high altar of the convent church.

That investigation proved to be successful for Clement XIII issued a papal bull in which he beatified the late bishop on 18 February 1764.

[2] On 9 June 1764 the pope issued another bull that allowed for a Mass and the Divine Office to be said in his honor in Kraków and among the Cistercians.