DOI Artikel:
Pajor, Piotr: Kilka uwag o okolicznościach budowy i formie architektonicznej kościoła Klarysek w Starym Sączu
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44918#0034
results from the erroneous linking of the existing church with the 1280S mention
of the construction of an unknown, older church, it can not be ruled out that the
chapel preserved until today had been established in a former place or even in some
part of the church; these doubts, however, can not be resolved without exploratory
excavation. Our task is not madę easier by the lack of medieval sources that would
indicate whether the remains of the saintly princess could have been transferred dur-
ing this period; on the contrary, Długosz in his Kingas Vita (Saints Life) regretted
that her body still remained buried in the ground.58 Nevertheless, the fact that the
chapel was erected with a view to the cult of the foundress of the convent seems to
be confirmed by the fact that it had been placed on the side of the convent, but also
ensuring communication with the nave, so that its interior was accessible to both
the nuns and lay persons. This issue is connected with a smali room adjoining the
chapel from the west, the so-called confessional, which according to the convents
tradition was established in the former location of Kingas celi. In literaturę, this is
juxtaposed with St. Mary s Chapel at the choir of the Poor Clares and Franciscans in
Prague, and the adjacent private oratory of Agnes of Bohemia.59 However, this anal-
ogy does not seem to be accurate, because the aforementioned parts of the Prague
compound were actually created during the life of the foundress of the monastery,
and were used by her.60 Perhaps this confessional, regardless of the tradition that is
connected with it, simply enabled the nuns to adore the tomb of the saintly foundress
in the neighbouring chapel; in any case, it does not seem appropriate to link the
preserved (though much transformed) room with the descriptions of Kingas celi
contained in her Vita (Saints Life).61 It is worth adding at this point that the royal
couple must have been somehow involved in acting towards the formalization of
the cult - according to the eldest version of the Vita (Saints Life), Władysław the
Short and Jadwiga personally testified that Kingas virginity was preserved, which
the king supported with memories from his childhood.62
Also, the question of the use of the church by both Poor Clare nuns and Fran-
ciscan friars is not entirely elear. The Franciscans settled in Stary Sącz earlier than
the Poor Clares. According to Długosz, it was Bolesław the Chaste who placed them
there.63 Dariusz Karczewski surmised that the existence of a fully organized convent
in 1281 was proven by the document of Paweł of Przemankowo, issued in Sącz at
that time, where several Franciscans, including guardian John, were mentioned as
witnesses.64 Most likely, Franciscans received their separate dedicated church in
58 Jan Długosz, Vita S. Stanislai - Vita B. Kunegundis - Vitae episcoporum poloniae - Vita Sbignei
de Oleśnica cardinalis - Clenodia. Banderia Prutenorum - Epistolae, wyd. I. Polkowski, Ż. Pauli,
Cracoviae 1887 (= Joannis Dlugossii Senioris Canonici Cracoviensis Opera omnia, 1), p. 184. The
situation is complicated by the modern tradition of the convent, written down at the beginning
of the eighteenth century by Marcin Ignacy Frankowie, reporting that at the beginning of the
fourteenth century, during the visitation of the Franciscan superior, there was an elevation of
the remains of Kinga (see: H. Krzyżostaniak, Trzynastowieczne święte kobiety, p. 102). Most
researchers consider Długoszs report to be morę credible (recently: H. Krzyżostaniak, Trzy-
nastowieczne święte kobiety, pp. 102-103; S. Swoboda, Średniowieczne relikty, pp. 196-197).
59 Z. Beiersdorf, B. Krasnowolski, Stary Sącz, pp. 32-35; O.M. Przybyłowicz, Architektura kościoła,
p.49; S. Swoboda, Średniowieczne relikty, pp. 197-198.
60 H. Soukupova, Aneźsky kldśter v Praze, Praha 2011, pp. 103-105.
61 As is done by Olga Miriam Przybyłowicz {Architektura kościoła, pp. 51-53).
62 Żywot świętej Kingi, pp. 100-101.
63 Jan Długosz, Liber beneficiorum, p. 465.
64 D. Karczewski Franciszkanie w monarchii Piastów, p. 508.
32
ARTICLES
Piotr Pajor
of the construction of an unknown, older church, it can not be ruled out that the
chapel preserved until today had been established in a former place or even in some
part of the church; these doubts, however, can not be resolved without exploratory
excavation. Our task is not madę easier by the lack of medieval sources that would
indicate whether the remains of the saintly princess could have been transferred dur-
ing this period; on the contrary, Długosz in his Kingas Vita (Saints Life) regretted
that her body still remained buried in the ground.58 Nevertheless, the fact that the
chapel was erected with a view to the cult of the foundress of the convent seems to
be confirmed by the fact that it had been placed on the side of the convent, but also
ensuring communication with the nave, so that its interior was accessible to both
the nuns and lay persons. This issue is connected with a smali room adjoining the
chapel from the west, the so-called confessional, which according to the convents
tradition was established in the former location of Kingas celi. In literaturę, this is
juxtaposed with St. Mary s Chapel at the choir of the Poor Clares and Franciscans in
Prague, and the adjacent private oratory of Agnes of Bohemia.59 However, this anal-
ogy does not seem to be accurate, because the aforementioned parts of the Prague
compound were actually created during the life of the foundress of the monastery,
and were used by her.60 Perhaps this confessional, regardless of the tradition that is
connected with it, simply enabled the nuns to adore the tomb of the saintly foundress
in the neighbouring chapel; in any case, it does not seem appropriate to link the
preserved (though much transformed) room with the descriptions of Kingas celi
contained in her Vita (Saints Life).61 It is worth adding at this point that the royal
couple must have been somehow involved in acting towards the formalization of
the cult - according to the eldest version of the Vita (Saints Life), Władysław the
Short and Jadwiga personally testified that Kingas virginity was preserved, which
the king supported with memories from his childhood.62
Also, the question of the use of the church by both Poor Clare nuns and Fran-
ciscan friars is not entirely elear. The Franciscans settled in Stary Sącz earlier than
the Poor Clares. According to Długosz, it was Bolesław the Chaste who placed them
there.63 Dariusz Karczewski surmised that the existence of a fully organized convent
in 1281 was proven by the document of Paweł of Przemankowo, issued in Sącz at
that time, where several Franciscans, including guardian John, were mentioned as
witnesses.64 Most likely, Franciscans received their separate dedicated church in
58 Jan Długosz, Vita S. Stanislai - Vita B. Kunegundis - Vitae episcoporum poloniae - Vita Sbignei
de Oleśnica cardinalis - Clenodia. Banderia Prutenorum - Epistolae, wyd. I. Polkowski, Ż. Pauli,
Cracoviae 1887 (= Joannis Dlugossii Senioris Canonici Cracoviensis Opera omnia, 1), p. 184. The
situation is complicated by the modern tradition of the convent, written down at the beginning
of the eighteenth century by Marcin Ignacy Frankowie, reporting that at the beginning of the
fourteenth century, during the visitation of the Franciscan superior, there was an elevation of
the remains of Kinga (see: H. Krzyżostaniak, Trzynastowieczne święte kobiety, p. 102). Most
researchers consider Długoszs report to be morę credible (recently: H. Krzyżostaniak, Trzy-
nastowieczne święte kobiety, pp. 102-103; S. Swoboda, Średniowieczne relikty, pp. 196-197).
59 Z. Beiersdorf, B. Krasnowolski, Stary Sącz, pp. 32-35; O.M. Przybyłowicz, Architektura kościoła,
p.49; S. Swoboda, Średniowieczne relikty, pp. 197-198.
60 H. Soukupova, Aneźsky kldśter v Praze, Praha 2011, pp. 103-105.
61 As is done by Olga Miriam Przybyłowicz {Architektura kościoła, pp. 51-53).
62 Żywot świętej Kingi, pp. 100-101.
63 Jan Długosz, Liber beneficiorum, p. 465.
64 D. Karczewski Franciszkanie w monarchii Piastów, p. 508.
32
ARTICLES
Piotr Pajor