This is a list of Polish national and patriotic songs. Bogurodzica (Mother of God) A religious hymn to the Virgin Mary dating back to between 10th and 13th centuries. It was a de facto national anthem of medieval Poland, sung at royal coronations and on battlefields, including the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and the Battle of Varna in 1444. Gaude Mater Polonia (Rejoice, Mother Poland) A hymn written in the 13th century by Wincenty of Kielcza. It was penned in Medieval Latin to the melody of a Gregorian chant, O salutaris Hostia. The hymn celebrates the canonization of Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów, bishop of Kraków and patron saint of Poland. In the Middle Ages, it was chanted on special occasions and after victorious battles. Today, it is performed at university ceremonies. Daj nam Boże doczekać tej pory, by do ataku nachylić propory (Let Us, O God, Live to Lower Our Pennons for Attack) Soldiers' song which originated in Prince Józef Poniatowski's division and gained some popularity at the end of the 18th century. Hymn do miłości Ojczyzny (O Sacred Love of the Beloved Country) Written in 1774 by Prince-Bishop Ignacy Krasicki for King Stanisław August Poniatowski's Corps of Cadets, it became in the latter's reign an unofficial national anthem of Poland. The lyrics convey the idea that love of Country gives meaning to poverty, wounds and death. Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (Dąbrowski's Mazurka, or Poland Is Not Yet Lost) Soldiers' song written in 1797 by Gen. Józef Wybicki in praise of Gen. Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, commander of the Polish Legions serving in Italy under Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1926 it became the official national anthem of Poland. Boże, coś Polskę (from the first lines "Boże! Coś Polskę przez tak liczne wieki / Otaczał blaskiem potęgi i chwały...", "Lord! Who for so many ages enclosed Poland with the light of power and glory...") Originally written in 1816 by Alojzy Feliński as Pieśń narodowa na pomyślność Króla (National Song to the King's Well-being). It was the official anthem of the Congress Kingdom of Poland reigned over by Russian emperors who were ex officio kings of Poland. Initially unpopular, it evolved in the early 1860s into an important religious and patriotic hymn. The line from the refrain, which originally begged "Save, Oh Lord, our King", was substituted with "Return us, Oh Lord, our free Fatherland" while the melody was simplified and made close to the