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DOI Artikel:Kurzej, Michał: Świątynia Mądrości: program treściowy wystroju kościoła św. Anny w Krakowie
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32431#0158
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grave is adorned with the images of his charitable deeds
and the visions he had during of his scientific work. On
the facade of the church and his figure appears together
with that of St. Bernard, from whose works he drew the
inspiration to combine theological work with mystical
devotion leading to enlightenment. The relics of St. John
Cantius were therefore to be a beacon for the faithful car-
ried by the university (shown as personifications of its four
departments carrying a coffin) and similar to the previous
four St. Johns - theologians, whose statues are located on
the surrounding columns.
Opposite St. John Cantius’ chapel, probably to empha-
size his passion piety, the Oratory of Holy Cross is located.
Around tlie date of spring equinox, associated with the
death of Christ, his dead body in the scene of Pieta shown
on a huge relief depicting the glory of the cross is also natu-
rally illuminated. Finally, apart from the traditional wooden
crucifix on the rood arch, there are hardly any images of
Passion in the church. The narrative of Salvation present
on the ceilings shows scenes of triumpli. The events of the
past - the Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation and
the Birth of Christ are shown in the sanctuary, and future
events, according to the Apocalypse of St. John - in the
nave. The main motive there is the Triumph of the Lamb
opening a book, and in this way sharing wisdom of which
no one else was worthy, which is another reference to tlie
notion of teaching. Nave decorations consist of visions of
the Apocalypse and images of Sibyls, emphasizing their
prophetic nature, as well as personifications of the Eight
Beatitudes and virtues relating to them. In this way a hint
regarding the way to achieve the future paradise was added.
Images of saints, also appearing in many ancillary deco-
ration motives in the church, may also be seen as such an
indication. Pillars are adorned with the Apostles; the sanc-
tuary - with Polish saints and lateral chapels are devoted to
the family of Jesus and saint martyrs. The chapel of St. John
Cantius is adjacent to the Oratory of St. John the Baptist,
after whom Cantius was named. As the Baptist was con-
sidered to be a “twin of Christ” and an adopted son of
Mary, the next chapel was dedicated to her, and the last
one - to St. Joseph. On the opposite side, by the chapel of
the Holy Cross St. Peter was commemorated, and opposite
the chapel of St. Mary’s - the Virgins. The decor of the last
interior is the earliest one. It was founded by the creator
of the church’s iconographic programme - Rev. Piskorski,
and it is dedicated to his patron saint - St. Sebastian and
other patron saints for healing.
The combination of all the thematic threads appears in
the dome, planned as the dominant feature of the build-
ing not only in terms of composition, but also ideology.
The pendentives are decorated with personifications of car-
dinal virtues, which are tłie works of Wisdom. The above
cupola painting is thus a revelation of the truth about God
as the Supreme Wisdom. The knowledge of God comes
both from the Revelation and the works of the wisdom
of the Church - its Councils, which established the basic
tenets of the faith. Therefore, between the windows of the
tambour angels holding the book with the names of the
first four ecumenical councils are shown - the Council of
Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon. The ten-
ets established there - the divinity of Christ and the Holy
Spirit, two natures of Christ and their inseparability - are
illustrated in the cupola of the dome. On its northern side,
which appears first when approaching from the nave, God
the Father and Christ are shown on the douds with the
Holy Spirit above them in glory, and the Virgin Mary,
extending her hands to him in the gesture of intercession
is kneeling to the right of Christ. On the other side there
is an image of a sacrificial altar with a cross and the Lamb,
and between them images of saints are shown.
The decor of St. Annes church is therefore a lecture on
Wisdom, which addresses three main issues: the genesis of
Wisdom, its divine origin and identification with the Incar-
nate Word - that is, Christ; teaching and passing Wisdom
and the way to Wisdom through imitating Christ and the
Saints, as well as the eternal triumph and glory of Wisdom
perceived as the event ending the history of the world. The
church is outstanding not only because of the quality of it’s
architecture sculpture and painting. Its message may safely
be regarded as one of the most interesting and original of
all time, and not only on the grounds of its erudition. It is
worth emphasizing that taking into account the complexity
of the church’s decor, Piskorski managed to maintain its
rhetorical message, making it understandable to a certain
extent to the common folk, whereas many original and
ingenious motives, developed with boundless imagination,
open up before a trained eye. Those sophisticated observers
were mainly to be the successive generations of academic
theologians who, by imitating the life John Cantius, were to
walk the path of enlightenment in order to become better
scientists and better teachers. The class of this “sermon of
sculpture and painting” may be appreciated when compar-
ing it witłi other works of the period, whether university
churches, popular shrines or mausoleums of saints, among
which there is simply no match to St. Anne’s church in
Cracow.
grave is adorned with the images of his charitable deeds
and the visions he had during of his scientific work. On
the facade of the church and his figure appears together
with that of St. Bernard, from whose works he drew the
inspiration to combine theological work with mystical
devotion leading to enlightenment. The relics of St. John
Cantius were therefore to be a beacon for the faithful car-
ried by the university (shown as personifications of its four
departments carrying a coffin) and similar to the previous
four St. Johns - theologians, whose statues are located on
the surrounding columns.
Opposite St. John Cantius’ chapel, probably to empha-
size his passion piety, the Oratory of Holy Cross is located.
Around tlie date of spring equinox, associated with the
death of Christ, his dead body in the scene of Pieta shown
on a huge relief depicting the glory of the cross is also natu-
rally illuminated. Finally, apart from the traditional wooden
crucifix on the rood arch, there are hardly any images of
Passion in the church. The narrative of Salvation present
on the ceilings shows scenes of triumpli. The events of the
past - the Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation and
the Birth of Christ are shown in the sanctuary, and future
events, according to the Apocalypse of St. John - in the
nave. The main motive there is the Triumph of the Lamb
opening a book, and in this way sharing wisdom of which
no one else was worthy, which is another reference to tlie
notion of teaching. Nave decorations consist of visions of
the Apocalypse and images of Sibyls, emphasizing their
prophetic nature, as well as personifications of the Eight
Beatitudes and virtues relating to them. In this way a hint
regarding the way to achieve the future paradise was added.
Images of saints, also appearing in many ancillary deco-
ration motives in the church, may also be seen as such an
indication. Pillars are adorned with the Apostles; the sanc-
tuary - with Polish saints and lateral chapels are devoted to
the family of Jesus and saint martyrs. The chapel of St. John
Cantius is adjacent to the Oratory of St. John the Baptist,
after whom Cantius was named. As the Baptist was con-
sidered to be a “twin of Christ” and an adopted son of
Mary, the next chapel was dedicated to her, and the last
one - to St. Joseph. On the opposite side, by the chapel of
the Holy Cross St. Peter was commemorated, and opposite
the chapel of St. Mary’s - the Virgins. The decor of the last
interior is the earliest one. It was founded by the creator
of the church’s iconographic programme - Rev. Piskorski,
and it is dedicated to his patron saint - St. Sebastian and
other patron saints for healing.
The combination of all the thematic threads appears in
the dome, planned as the dominant feature of the build-
ing not only in terms of composition, but also ideology.
The pendentives are decorated with personifications of car-
dinal virtues, which are tłie works of Wisdom. The above
cupola painting is thus a revelation of the truth about God
as the Supreme Wisdom. The knowledge of God comes
both from the Revelation and the works of the wisdom
of the Church - its Councils, which established the basic
tenets of the faith. Therefore, between the windows of the
tambour angels holding the book with the names of the
first four ecumenical councils are shown - the Council of
Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon. The ten-
ets established there - the divinity of Christ and the Holy
Spirit, two natures of Christ and their inseparability - are
illustrated in the cupola of the dome. On its northern side,
which appears first when approaching from the nave, God
the Father and Christ are shown on the douds with the
Holy Spirit above them in glory, and the Virgin Mary,
extending her hands to him in the gesture of intercession
is kneeling to the right of Christ. On the other side there
is an image of a sacrificial altar with a cross and the Lamb,
and between them images of saints are shown.
The decor of St. Annes church is therefore a lecture on
Wisdom, which addresses three main issues: the genesis of
Wisdom, its divine origin and identification with the Incar-
nate Word - that is, Christ; teaching and passing Wisdom
and the way to Wisdom through imitating Christ and the
Saints, as well as the eternal triumph and glory of Wisdom
perceived as the event ending the history of the world. The
church is outstanding not only because of the quality of it’s
architecture sculpture and painting. Its message may safely
be regarded as one of the most interesting and original of
all time, and not only on the grounds of its erudition. It is
worth emphasizing that taking into account the complexity
of the church’s decor, Piskorski managed to maintain its
rhetorical message, making it understandable to a certain
extent to the common folk, whereas many original and
ingenious motives, developed with boundless imagination,
open up before a trained eye. Those sophisticated observers
were mainly to be the successive generations of academic
theologians who, by imitating the life John Cantius, were to
walk the path of enlightenment in order to become better
scientists and better teachers. The class of this “sermon of
sculpture and painting” may be appreciated when compar-
ing it witłi other works of the period, whether university
churches, popular shrines or mausoleums of saints, among
which there is simply no match to St. Anne’s church in
Cracow.