DOI article:
Kamińska, Justyna: Kościół podominikański w Poznaniu – uwagi na temat pierwotnego układu przestrzennego i dekoracji architektonicznej
Citation link: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/modus2020/0044
of Lesser Poland provenance (suggested due to the similarity of the main portal
to that in the church of Saint James in Sandomierz)123 is therefore incorrect. Apart
from the above-mentioned analysis of the details, our conclusion is supported by
the fact that nonę of the Dominican churches dating back to the mid-thirteenth
century had Gothic Windows with the jamb profiling characteristic for the church
in Poznań (and the cathedral in Wrocław). Not using the services of stonemasons
from the cathedrals workshop did not mean that the nave received no decoration
at all - but only that the latter is much morę “Dominican” in its expression. Both
the use of the fleur-de-lis frieze, which creates a direct link between the Poznań
church and five other Polish Dominican foundations erected at a similar time,
and the forms of the main portal clearly referring to the tempie in Sandomierz,
are the clues. We should remember that already in the 1970S, Grzybkowski drew
attention to certain formal similarities in the architectural decoration between
the Dominican churches in Sieradz, Sandomierz, Płock and Poznań, which he ex-
plained by referrals of construction craftsmen from one monastery to another.124
Kutzner put forward a similar hypothesis.125 It is possible that the main portal,
stylistically different from the subtle forms of the nave’s window openings, was
madę by such a workshop. However, we cannot agree with the theory of Linette
and Skibiński that the nave was erected before the chancel - specifically, one of the
arguments they offered was that morę traditional and simplified forms were used
in the former.126 This is contradicted both by the reconstruction of the building
phases presented above, and the character and style of the Gothic window open-
ings in both parts of the tempie, which is shown to be uniform.
* * *
The formal analysis of the preserved parts of the thirteenth-century Dominican
church in Poznań presented in this paper allows for the identification of at least
two construction workshops participating in its creation, coming from different
backgrounds - one related to the cathedral, and the other related to the Domini-
can circle. Two main construction phases were distinguished, the first of which
included the erection of the chancel with a span for the rood screen, and the next
encompassing the nave, to which the main portal with solid, archaic forms was
possibly added. The presence of cathedral-derived Gothic forms was noted, both
in the chancel part and in the nave of the church.
Dominicans and Franciscans in Poland brought with them innovation in archi-
tecture, manifesting itself from the first half of the thirteenth century in the large-
-scale use of brick and various ceramic decorations, in erecting temples of impressive
size, in the use of a long choir that had not previously existed here, and in popular-
izing the features of Gothic style. All these elements can be found in the Poznań
tempie, which at the time of its construction must have been enormously impressive
to the eyes of those who came to settle in this newly chartered town. •
123 Sz. Skibiński, Architektura kościołów, pp. 249-250.
124 A. Grzybkowski, Wczesnogotycki kościół, p. 91.
125 M. Kutzner, Wiełkopołska, Kujawy, p. 157.
126 E. Linette, Wczesnogotycki wystrój, p. 356; Sz. Skibiński, Architektura kościołów, pp. 248-252.
44
ARTICLES
Justyna Kamińska
to that in the church of Saint James in Sandomierz)123 is therefore incorrect. Apart
from the above-mentioned analysis of the details, our conclusion is supported by
the fact that nonę of the Dominican churches dating back to the mid-thirteenth
century had Gothic Windows with the jamb profiling characteristic for the church
in Poznań (and the cathedral in Wrocław). Not using the services of stonemasons
from the cathedrals workshop did not mean that the nave received no decoration
at all - but only that the latter is much morę “Dominican” in its expression. Both
the use of the fleur-de-lis frieze, which creates a direct link between the Poznań
church and five other Polish Dominican foundations erected at a similar time,
and the forms of the main portal clearly referring to the tempie in Sandomierz,
are the clues. We should remember that already in the 1970S, Grzybkowski drew
attention to certain formal similarities in the architectural decoration between
the Dominican churches in Sieradz, Sandomierz, Płock and Poznań, which he ex-
plained by referrals of construction craftsmen from one monastery to another.124
Kutzner put forward a similar hypothesis.125 It is possible that the main portal,
stylistically different from the subtle forms of the nave’s window openings, was
madę by such a workshop. However, we cannot agree with the theory of Linette
and Skibiński that the nave was erected before the chancel - specifically, one of the
arguments they offered was that morę traditional and simplified forms were used
in the former.126 This is contradicted both by the reconstruction of the building
phases presented above, and the character and style of the Gothic window open-
ings in both parts of the tempie, which is shown to be uniform.
* * *
The formal analysis of the preserved parts of the thirteenth-century Dominican
church in Poznań presented in this paper allows for the identification of at least
two construction workshops participating in its creation, coming from different
backgrounds - one related to the cathedral, and the other related to the Domini-
can circle. Two main construction phases were distinguished, the first of which
included the erection of the chancel with a span for the rood screen, and the next
encompassing the nave, to which the main portal with solid, archaic forms was
possibly added. The presence of cathedral-derived Gothic forms was noted, both
in the chancel part and in the nave of the church.
Dominicans and Franciscans in Poland brought with them innovation in archi-
tecture, manifesting itself from the first half of the thirteenth century in the large-
-scale use of brick and various ceramic decorations, in erecting temples of impressive
size, in the use of a long choir that had not previously existed here, and in popular-
izing the features of Gothic style. All these elements can be found in the Poznań
tempie, which at the time of its construction must have been enormously impressive
to the eyes of those who came to settle in this newly chartered town. •
123 Sz. Skibiński, Architektura kościołów, pp. 249-250.
124 A. Grzybkowski, Wczesnogotycki kościół, p. 91.
125 M. Kutzner, Wiełkopołska, Kujawy, p. 157.
126 E. Linette, Wczesnogotycki wystrój, p. 356; Sz. Skibiński, Architektura kościołów, pp. 248-252.
44
ARTICLES
Justyna Kamińska