DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43489#0036
30
Piotr Krasny
was imitated especially eagerly by the bishops in the countries of Reich (Paris
Londron, Maximilian Gandolf, Guidobald Thun-Hohenstein, Johann Ernst Thun-Ho-
henstein), who relied on his values in the defence of the Catholic Church against the
Reformation, especially powerful in this area. Still in the second half of the eighte-
enth century a group of Hungarian bishops (Ferenc Zichy, Karoly Esterhazy, Gydrgy
Klimo, Janosz Szily) initiated numerous artistic foundations in their pastoral pro-
gramme, all of them aimed against the progress of the anti-Christian thought of the
Enlightenment.
A model of the Episcopal patronage on art, worked out by St. Charles, had also
numerous followers in Poland. Among them there are those bishops who had con-
tacts with Milan and who scrupulously imitated his pastoral activity. Jerzy Radziwiłł
and Bernard Maciejowski founded numerous sacral buildings and cared about the
proper appearance of churches during their canon visitations; Maciejowski published
a pastoral letter in 1601 in which he accurately defined the principles of fabrica
ecclesiae. Now Marcin Szyszkowski combined his ardent devotion to St. Charles
with impressive artistic foundations; he also issued important regulations with regard
to sacral painting. There were also bishops - like Michał Radziejowski and Ignacy
Massalski - who sought to initially subordinate their artistic patronage to the pastoral
mission of the Church, but with time they gave in to the temptation to take advanta-
ge of art as, above all, the manifestation of their high aristocratic position and the
importance of their families.
The considerations on St. Charles Borromeo’s and his numerous followers’ acti-
vity in the field of art have brought us to a conclusion that the bishops’ patronage
on art cannot be reduced only to their foundations. In order to obtain the real picture
of their influence on sacral art in their diocese one needs to analyse also the artistic
endeavours they inspired, and financed by other benefactors. We have to take into
account the systems of surveillance on investors, employers, and artists they had
worked out. We have to bear in our minds that according to the spirit of the Triden-
tine reform, sacral art was not supposed to multiply human vanity, but to praise the
glory of God, and first of all to support the pastoral mission of the Church.
Translated by Jan Kłos
Piotr Krasny
was imitated especially eagerly by the bishops in the countries of Reich (Paris
Londron, Maximilian Gandolf, Guidobald Thun-Hohenstein, Johann Ernst Thun-Ho-
henstein), who relied on his values in the defence of the Catholic Church against the
Reformation, especially powerful in this area. Still in the second half of the eighte-
enth century a group of Hungarian bishops (Ferenc Zichy, Karoly Esterhazy, Gydrgy
Klimo, Janosz Szily) initiated numerous artistic foundations in their pastoral pro-
gramme, all of them aimed against the progress of the anti-Christian thought of the
Enlightenment.
A model of the Episcopal patronage on art, worked out by St. Charles, had also
numerous followers in Poland. Among them there are those bishops who had con-
tacts with Milan and who scrupulously imitated his pastoral activity. Jerzy Radziwiłł
and Bernard Maciejowski founded numerous sacral buildings and cared about the
proper appearance of churches during their canon visitations; Maciejowski published
a pastoral letter in 1601 in which he accurately defined the principles of fabrica
ecclesiae. Now Marcin Szyszkowski combined his ardent devotion to St. Charles
with impressive artistic foundations; he also issued important regulations with regard
to sacral painting. There were also bishops - like Michał Radziejowski and Ignacy
Massalski - who sought to initially subordinate their artistic patronage to the pastoral
mission of the Church, but with time they gave in to the temptation to take advanta-
ge of art as, above all, the manifestation of their high aristocratic position and the
importance of their families.
The considerations on St. Charles Borromeo’s and his numerous followers’ acti-
vity in the field of art have brought us to a conclusion that the bishops’ patronage
on art cannot be reduced only to their foundations. In order to obtain the real picture
of their influence on sacral art in their diocese one needs to analyse also the artistic
endeavours they inspired, and financed by other benefactors. We have to take into
account the systems of surveillance on investors, employers, and artists they had
worked out. We have to bear in our minds that according to the spirit of the Triden-
tine reform, sacral art was not supposed to multiply human vanity, but to praise the
glory of God, and first of all to support the pastoral mission of the Church.
Translated by Jan Kłos