CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION OF VIRGIN MARY – LATE-GOTHIC CRUCIFIX
Originally Franciscan, Late-Gothic Crucifix, late 15th century. The cross 360 x 210 cm, the corpus 240 x 170 cm.
THE ARTEFACT
Wooden sculpture, polychromed and gilded; made of at least three pieces of wood. A tri-dimensional form, finished on all sides, intended for viewing from the front. Flesh-colour light, cool, hair dark brown, the loin-cloth gilded, minute trickles of blood painted on the body.
The original location of crucifix in the church is unknown. It could have been placed on top o the Franciscan rood-screen and following its dismantling in 1563 transferred to the rood-beam. It has been associated with the rood-arch until 1931, when it has been moved to its present location on the north wall of the nave, above the entrance to the cloisters. Prior to the Bernardine arrangement of a new rood-arch and after the church was taken over by the Protestants, the crucifix used to be positioned on the rood-beam, facing the chancel. Another crucifix, founded by the Protestants and renovated in late 17th century – hung facing the nave (see the description in Baumgarten’s w Memoranda: „In ipso chori ingresu supra trabem altitudinis ad duas perticas transversim parietibus immisam, videtur figura Salvatoris crucifixi in ligno crucis pendentis, ab una parte in choro altare versus, cum subscriptione: ‘Mir macht die Lieb so viel und grosse Plagen Sie bloss nicht meine Schuld, hat mich ans Creutz geschlagen’. Sub cruce: ‘Anno 1563”. Altera vero ad reliquaam templi partem spectans, prisci laboris, adstantibus ab utroque latere, Beatissimae Virginis atque s. Johannis Ewangeliste staturis in ipsa trabesequens renovate isncriptio “Hic mea me pietas lingo confixit in alto, Hic me solus amor, non mea culpa tenet. 1675″).
Monika & Juliusz Raczkowski
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The photographs taken with a full-frame mirrorless digital camera by Juliusz Raczkowski