Cistercian Abbey in Krzeszów

Krzeszów, in Lower Silesia a place to be for theological thought and architectural and artistic activity

Was the Cistercian abbey in Krzeszów really a European center of art and theological thought? This study in eight chapters tries to answer this question. The first chapter shows how deep the foundations of the Krzeszów Abbey go. The next three chapters are devoted to various works, initiatives and architecture of the Baroque era. First, the unique painting of Our Lady of Mercy in the Mater Misericordiae type, which was created in 1624, was presented. Then, the sculptural foundations of Abbot Geyer in the area of the Krzeszów abbey and in its latifundia were discussed. Finally, the architecture of the baroque abbey church, unique on a European scale, was presented. Grace of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This proves what an extraordinary center Krzeszów was in terms of the art created there. In the next two chapters, the reader finds the answer to the question: Was Krzeszów also a significant theological center in Europe at that time? First in terms of Catholic dogmatic, and then in terms of biblical linguistics. The study ends with two chapters, the first of which focuses on the sacralization of the landscape by introducing modern forms of imitation of the Holy Land and the cult of saints. The second one presents the baroque iconography of the Cistercian monastery in Krzeszów from the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century, which shows the changes in its social function over the centuries.

Auteur
Andrzej Kozie is art historian and works in the Institute of Art History, University of Wrocaw. He is the Chair of Art History and Cultural Heritage, University of Ostrava. He specializes in Baroque painting and drawing in Central Europe with particular interest in Michael Willmann and his school. Author and co-author of several books, e.g.: Drawings of Michael Willmann (16301706) (2000), Op Nederlandse Manier. Netherlandish Inspirations in Silesian Art in 15th18th Century (2001), Angelus Silesius, Bernhard Rosa and Michael Willmann or Art and Mysticism in Silesia in Baroque Times (2006), Michael Willmann and His Painting Workshop (2013), Baroque Painting in Silesia (2017) and over 60 articles.Slawomir Stasiak, a priest of the Legnica diocese, is the rector at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocaw. There he is also the head of the Biblical Theology Department at the Institute of Biblical Studies.Rajmund Pietkiewicz is Professor and Vice-President of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocaw.Krzysztof Pilarczyk, Prof. Dr. Hab., was Professor of Judaic and Biblical Sciences and Religious History and Head of the Laboratory of the History of Christian-Jewish Relations at the Institute of Religious Studies of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.