DOI issue:
Nr. 3-4
DOI article:Kaminska, Rūta: The late Baroque church interiors of Livonia within pre-partition Poland
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.34475#0463
453
RUTA KAMIŃSKA
Ryga, q/V/zg NAZory q/Arf Latvian Academy q/^cAnce^
77ze Lute Luro^ue CAumA Autenorg
o/Ańw?A/ whAm p/u-Puzr/t/o/? Pz)A/zzd
"W"n 18th-century Livonia within the borders of the Polish-Lithuanian Re^ptzA/zcu, the
! importance of the Roman Catholic Church increased, favouring construction of chur-
^H^ches that resulted in major monuments of sacred architecture. Because only part of the
buildings have survived to the present day, the 18th-century architectural heritage is
somewhat fragmentary. The historica! context had not been always, even within a single
century, encouraged builders" and artists" activities. The century started out with the Great
Northern War (1700-1721), as well as plague and flooding of the Daugava River
contributed to the region"s decline. Only by the mid-1700s did the situation stabilise, with
economic growth providing resources for construction works. Political history played a
role again in 1772 when, in connection with the first Partition, these lands were forcefully
incorporated into the Russian Empire. Change, however, took place gradually and the
earlier processes continued to develop until the 1790s; e.g. the increasing role of the
Roman Catholic Church and echoes of late-Baroque traditions in artistic culture. They had
reached this provincial comer of the AaspvtA/zcu belatedly and largely involved complying
with the Baroque architecture of the Vilna region, although occasionally the mastering and
development of new stylistic principles and forms went parallel in the two neighbouring
provinces. Architects and artists, who implemented these ideas in Polish-administered
Livonia also came largely Rom the Grand Duchy. One should note a peculiar trait of the
local heritage: Baroque is introduced in its late phase and appears in new buildings as a
uniEed ensemble of architecture and interior Rnish. Updating older buildings, endowing
their faęades or furnishings with Resh features was less topical here. No such buildings
exist or they must have been so humble that new ones replaced them as soon as was
possible. It is known that Bishop Krzysztof Antoni Szembek"s report on the condition of
churches in the province, completed by 1715, lists only wooden churches, describing
EReen of them more in more precise detail.'
Usually, in dealing with eastern Latvia (Polish-administered Livonia and part of the ex-
Dukedom of Courland), Rom the late 19th century onwards, researchers have tended to
explore 18th-century masonry-built churches in the context of Baltic architectural heritage,
with good reason. Complexes of churches, monasteries and other buildings of sacred
architecture stand out for their high quality and up-to-date form in the overall panorama of
' J. VAIVODS, RatoR Aazzzfca^ veytare Aatvz/'a, Riga 1994, pp. 470-473.
RUTA KAMIŃSKA
Ryga, q/V/zg NAZory q/Arf Latvian Academy q/^cAnce^
77ze Lute Luro^ue CAumA Autenorg
o/Ańw?A/ whAm p/u-Puzr/t/o/? Pz)A/zzd
"W"n 18th-century Livonia within the borders of the Polish-Lithuanian Re^ptzA/zcu, the
! importance of the Roman Catholic Church increased, favouring construction of chur-
^H^ches that resulted in major monuments of sacred architecture. Because only part of the
buildings have survived to the present day, the 18th-century architectural heritage is
somewhat fragmentary. The historica! context had not been always, even within a single
century, encouraged builders" and artists" activities. The century started out with the Great
Northern War (1700-1721), as well as plague and flooding of the Daugava River
contributed to the region"s decline. Only by the mid-1700s did the situation stabilise, with
economic growth providing resources for construction works. Political history played a
role again in 1772 when, in connection with the first Partition, these lands were forcefully
incorporated into the Russian Empire. Change, however, took place gradually and the
earlier processes continued to develop until the 1790s; e.g. the increasing role of the
Roman Catholic Church and echoes of late-Baroque traditions in artistic culture. They had
reached this provincial comer of the AaspvtA/zcu belatedly and largely involved complying
with the Baroque architecture of the Vilna region, although occasionally the mastering and
development of new stylistic principles and forms went parallel in the two neighbouring
provinces. Architects and artists, who implemented these ideas in Polish-administered
Livonia also came largely Rom the Grand Duchy. One should note a peculiar trait of the
local heritage: Baroque is introduced in its late phase and appears in new buildings as a
uniEed ensemble of architecture and interior Rnish. Updating older buildings, endowing
their faęades or furnishings with Resh features was less topical here. No such buildings
exist or they must have been so humble that new ones replaced them as soon as was
possible. It is known that Bishop Krzysztof Antoni Szembek"s report on the condition of
churches in the province, completed by 1715, lists only wooden churches, describing
EReen of them more in more precise detail.'
Usually, in dealing with eastern Latvia (Polish-administered Livonia and part of the ex-
Dukedom of Courland), Rom the late 19th century onwards, researchers have tended to
explore 18th-century masonry-built churches in the context of Baltic architectural heritage,
with good reason. Complexes of churches, monasteries and other buildings of sacred
architecture stand out for their high quality and up-to-date form in the overall panorama of
' J. VAIVODS, RatoR Aazzzfca^ veytare Aatvz/'a, Riga 1994, pp. 470-473.