Culture of medieval Poland

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Madonna of Krużlowa
St. Andrew's Church, Kraków

The culture of medieval Poland was closely linked to the Catholic Church and its involvement in the country's affairs, especially during the first centuries of the Polish state's history. Many of the oldest Polish customs and artifacts date from the Middle Ages, which in Poland lasted from the late 10th to late 15th century, and were followed by the Polish Renaissance.

Early centuries (10th–12th)

The

Slavic mythology-based culture Polanie with the new Christian culture of the Kingdom of Poland under the Piast dynasty.[1] Around the 12th century, the ecclesiastical network in Poland was composed of about one thousand parishes grouped in eight dioceses.[1]

Adalbert becomes bishop, detail of the Gniezno Doors, 1175

The new customs spread as the Church also acted as the state's

Benedictine monasteries built in the 11th century in Tyniec and Lubin spread new Western agricultural and industrial techniques.[1]

Another powerful tool employed by the Church was the skill of

Latin.[2] Among them were the Gospels from Gniezno and Płock, Codex aureus Gnesnensis [de] and Codex Aureus Pultoviensis [de], dating from around the late 11th century.[1] Other notable examples of early Polish books include the Bishop Ciołek's Latin Missal and Olbracht's Gradual. Also famous are the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus and Wincenty Kadłubek.[2]

While

monodic music appeared in Polish churches and monasteries at the end of the 11th century.[1]

The

Church of St. Jacob in Sandomierz, founded in 1226 by Iwo Odrowąż and built by his nephew St. Jacek Odrowąż (its campanile however was built in early Gothic style in the 14th century). At the Cathedral in Gniezno is an important example of Romanesque art, the bronze Gniezno Doors (c. 1175),[1] which is recognized as the first major work of Polish art with a national theme.[1] Their relief depicts eighteen scenes of the life and death of Saint Adalbert.[1]

Late centuries (13th–15th)

From the 13th century on the culture of Poland was increasingly affected by forces other than the Church, as the nonecclesiastical institutions begun to gain importance.

Jan of Głogów, and Wojciech of Brudzew.[1] Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik) developed new astronomical theories, bringing about a revolutionary change in the contemporary perception of the universe.[1]

Two traditions
Jogaila portraited as one of the Magi detail of the Triptych of Our Lady of Sorrows in the Wawel Cathedral, Silesian Stanisław Durink.
Eastern European tradition (Byzantine art) – effigy of Jogaila kneeling before the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Holy Trinity Chapel of the Lublin Castle, Ruthenian
Master Andrej.

The ties between Poland other countries also increased, as prospective students went abroad to

Polish-Lithuanian Union
.

Sarcophagus of Casimir the Great at Wawel Cathedral

As in the West,

Collegium Maius.[1]

Altar of Veit Stoss

Architecture was not the only area of arts that boomed at that time. The patronage of wealthy and influential individuals, from kings through the nobility, as well as clergymen and town patricians, allowed various artists to create masterpieces.

His wooden altar, with hundreds of small figurines, has been described as "one of the crowning achievements of medieval sculpture."[1]

The origins of Polish music can be traced as far back as the 13th century. Manuscripts from that period have been found in

Władysław Jagiełło.[1]

See also

  • History of Poland (966–1385)
  • History of Poland (1385-1569)

References

  1. ^
    Michael J. Mikoś, Polish Literature from the Middle Ages to the End of the Eighteenth Century. A Bilingual Anthology, Warsaw: Constans, 1999. Cultural background
  2. ^
    Michael J. Mikoś, Polish Literature from the Middle Ages to the End of the Eighteenth Century. A Bilingual Anthology, Warsaw: Constans, 1999. Literary background
  3. Michael J. Mikoś, Polish Literature from the Middle Ages to the End of the Eighteenth Century. A Bilingual Anthology, Warsaw: Constans, 1999. Historical background
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