TY - JOUR
TI - The lamented Coronation of Virgin Mary by Włodzimierz Tetmajer in the Cathedral Church in Sosnowiec
AU - Pencakowski, Paweł
TI - The lamented Coronation of Virgin Mary by Włodzimierz Tetmajer in the Cathedral Church in Sosnowiec
AB - The text presents significant and previously overlooked aspects of the iconographic program of the Young Poland-era mural decoration by Kraków painters Włodzimierz Tetmajer and Henryk Uziembło in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sosnowiec. The murals were created in the main city of the Silesian- Dąbrowa Basin during the turbulent years of 1904-1906. An analysis of the program’s elements indicates that the depiction of the Coronation of Mary at the center of the church deviates from traditional and unequivocal representations. The interpretation of the iconography reveals that, according to Tetmajer – the author of the concept – it is a coronation that cannot be carried out, unfulfilled and irrelevant concerning the dignity of the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Poland. This is because Poland, the deceased Motherland of its people, lies in the grave, where the Virgin Mary also rested before the Assumption. This is confirmed by the analysis of the iconography and the message of the painting “The Assumption of Mary” in the main altar. It subtly but unmistakably suggests that the grave is not empty. This state of affairs evokes despair, sorrow, and agitation among the participants of the halted, impossible-to-conduct coronation ceremony in heaven, as well as among some of the angels accompanying the ascending Virgin Mary. At the foot of the divine throne, all of them await justice and mercy. Their arguments, and the basis of their pleas, are the eternal faithfulness of Poland and the Polish people to Christianity, the Church, and the Virgin Mary, depicted in historical scenes on the church walls, such as the Baptism of Poland, the Baptism of Lithuania, the Lwów Oaths of King John II Casimir, and the Homage of the Polish Kings to the Virgin Mary with the Child.
VL - Ealy View 2024
IS - Tom 24
SN - 1641-9715
C1 - 2545-3882
UR - https://ejournals.eu/czasopismo/modus-prace-z-historii-sztuki/artykul/the-lamented-coronation-of-virgin-mary-by-wlodzimierz-tetmajer-in-the-cathedral-church-in-sosnowiec