Stanislaus Kostka was a Polish Jesuit novice who lived from 1550 to 1568. Born into a noble family in Rostkowo, he demonstrated intense religious devotion during his studies at a Jesuit college in Vienna. Despite facing opposition from his family, he traveled on foot to join the Society of Jesus in Rome. He died in the city at the age of eighteen, having spent his final months as a model of religious perfection within the novitiate of Sant'Andrea. He is recognized as a saint and serves as a secondary patron of Poland.