Culture of medieval Poland
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The culture of medieval Poland is closely intertwined with the activities of the Catholic Church in Poland, especially during the first centuries of the Polish state's history. Many of the oldest Polish customs and artifacts date from the period of Middle Ages, which in Poland lasted from the late 10th to late 15th century and were followed by Polish Renaissance.
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[edit] Early centuries (10-12th)
The christianization of Kingdom of Poland (baptism of Poland) led, as in the rest of Europe, to the supplementation of previous pagan Slavic mythology-based culture of Polanie tribe with new Christian culture of the Kingdom of Poland under the Piast dynasty. By the twelfth century, the ecclesiastical network in Poland was composed of eight dioceses and about one thousand parishes.
The new customs spread as the Church also acted as the state's educational system. Church run schools with Latin trivium (grammar, rhetoric, dialectic) and quadrivium (mathematics, geometry, astrology, and music) and was helped by various religious orders which established monasteries throughout the countryside. By the end of the thirteenth century over 300 monasteries existed in Poland, spreading Catholicism and Western traditions: for example, the first Benedictine monasteries built in the eleventh century in Tyniec and Lubin spread the new techniques of industry and agriculture of Western origin. Another powerful tool employed by the Church was the skill of writing. Church had the knowledge and the ability to make parchments, and scribes created and copied manuscripts and established libraries. Thus the earliest examples of Polish literature were written in Latin language. Among them are the Gospels from Gniezno and Płock, Codex aureus and Codex aureus Pultoviensis, dating from as early as the second half of the eleventh century. Other notable examples of early Polish books include the Bishop Ciołek'a Latin Missal and Olbracht's Gradual. Also famous are the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus and Wincenty Kadłubek.
Although folk music did not diminish, relatively little of the early Polish music is known. Musical instruments, usually homemade (e.g., fiddles, lutes, zithers, lyres, and horns) were utilised. The Gregorian chorales were brought to Poland at the end of the eleventh century. Religious monodic music was sung in churches and monasteries.
The architecture of Poland was also transformed. New, monumental style of Romanesque architecture, with well over one hundred buildings preserved to this day, displayed the influence of Cologne in its earliest structures. Among those is the crypt of Saint Leonard at the Wawel Hill in Kraków and the Cathedral of Płock, built in 1144. Many other churches, usually round or square with semicircular apses, can be found throughout Poland, in towns like Ostrów Lednicki or Giecz. Another example is the brick church of St. Jacob church in Sandomierz, founded in 1226 by Iwo Odrowąż and built by his nephew St. Jacek Odrowąż. The campanille was built in early Gothic style in the XIV century.
At the Cathedral in Gniezno is an important example of Romanesque art, the magnificent bronze doors of the (ca. 1175), the first major work of art presenting a national theme, depicting in relief eighteen scenes of the life and death of Saint Adalbert.
 St. Andreas' Kraków |
 St. Adalbert's, Kraków |
 St. Nicholas', Cieszyn |
 Column of virtues Strzelno |
 Inowrocław, St. Mary's Church, view from east. |
 Tum Church. |
 The portal of Sandomierz Church. |
[edit] Late centuries (13-15th)
From the thirteenth century the culture of Poland was increasingly affected by forces other than the Church, as the nonecclesiastical institutions begun to gain importance. The fourteenth century saw also the important transition from Piast dynasty to Jagiellonian dynasty. The schools began to prepare candidates for careers not only in priesthood but also in law, diplomacy, and administration. Cracow Academy (centuries later renamed to Jagiellonian University), one of the oldest universities in the world, was founded in 1364. Polish law begun to develop as legal texts were recorded in secular chancelleries. Polish science also made inroads, as some works of Polish scholars like a chronicle of popes and emperors by Martin of Opava and the treatise on optics by Witelo became known abroad. By the end of the 14th century, over 18,000 students would have been educated by the Cracow Academy. The faculties of astronomy, law and theology attracted eminent scholars: for example, Stanisław of Skalbmierz, Paweł Włodkowic, Jan of Głogów, and Wojciech of Brudzew, who from 1491 to 1495 was one of teachers of Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus, called Mikołaj Kopernik in Polish, would develop new astronomical theories, bringing about a radical change in man's thinking and in his view of the universe. Copernicus, who spend many years in Italy and communicated mostly with Germans while working as a cleric in the Cathedral of Frauenburg (Frombork), is considered an important figure in the Polish Renaissance even though he only published in 1543, the year of his death.
The ties between Poland other countries also increased, as prospective students went abroad to University of Padua, University of Paris and elsewhere, and as the royal and ducal courts, through diplomatic visits and matrimonial connections, absorbed cultural influences from other countries. Contacts between Polish royal court and those of neighbouring countries - Hungary, Bohemia, the Italian states, France, and the German States increased with time. Poland was also affected by the process of German colonization, as German settlers migrated East, bringing various knowledge and customs (for example the Magdeburg laws). This linked Polish culture (and especially the urban culture) with that of the Western Europe. Polish culture, influenced by the West, in turn radiated east, with one of the main consequences being the Polish-Lithuanian Union.
As happened in the West, Gothic architecture began to gain popularity in Poland and coincided with the growing wealth of Church, the towns and the intense economic development which occurred during the reign of Casimir III the Great, with the end result being the hundreds of Gothic buildings which have survived from that prosperous era. Polish masons rebuilt the great cathedrals of Cracow, Breslau/Wrocław, Gniezno, and Poznań in Gothic style, and built hundreds of basilicas and churches, for example St. Mary's Church in Cracow and the Collegiate Church in Sandomierz. Secular buildings were also numerous, for example in the new towns of Kazimierz and Wiślica. Over 40 new castles, strategically situated along the lines of communication, were raised by Casimir, and many city walls and city halls and other buildings were raised. Another example would be Collegium Maius, the seat of the Jagiellonian University.
The architecture was not the only area of arts that was positively affected by that time. The patronage of kings, dukes, magnates, clergymen, and patricians allowed various artists to create masterpieces. Grzegorz of Sanok, Archbishop of Lwów, a poet and patron of literature, gathered scholars and writers who advanced the humanist philosophy of life. The most outstanding among them was Filip Callimachus from Tuscany, who became a tutor to King Casimir's sons, a founder of the literary and scientific circle, and a professor at the University. The Gothic buildings were decorated with stone and wood sculptures, paintings, stained glass windows, gold articles, and textiles. Among outstanding works preserved to this day are the sarcophagus of Casimir the Great in the Wawel Cathedral and the altar of St. Catherine's Church, Cracow by Mikolaj Haberschrack. Other artifacts which attest to the flourishing of the decorative arts are the stained glass windows of Saint Nicholas's Church, Toruń, the reliquary for the head of Saint Stanisław, and the chasuble from the benefaction of Piotr Kmita. The influence of Byzantine painting can be seen in the frescoes of the Trinity Chapel, Lublin, and of Italian art in the Franciscan monastery in Cracow. Perhaps the greatest piece of Gothic art in Poland are the works of Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz), who came from Nuremberg to Cracow in 1477 and lived there for twenty years. The Altar of Veit Stoss, carved in wood, is one of the crowning achievements of medieval sculpture.
The origin of Polish music can be traced as far back as the 13th century, from which manuscripts have been found in Stary Sącz, containing polyphonic compositions related to the Parisian Notre Dame School. Other early compositions, such as the melody of Bogurodzica, may also date back to this period. The first known notable composer, however, Mikolaj z Radomia, lived in the 15th century. He was connected with the court of Władysław Jagiełło and wrote polyphonic music renowned for its expression of religious contemplation.
 Church Holy Virgin Mary in Poznań |
 Franciscan Church in Kraków |
 Cathedral in Wrocław |
 Saint Cross church & St. Bartholomeo church, Wrocław |
 City hall in Wrocław |
 Psalteria in Poznań |
 Old market in Poznań |
 Florian gate in Cracow |
_01.jpg/120px-Kazimierz_Dolny_(ruiny_zamku)_01.jpg) Ruins of castle in Kazimierz Dolny |
 Ruins of a gothic castle in Ogrodzieniec |
 The Holy Trinity Chapel and the castle keep in Lublin |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Michael J. Mikoś, Polish Literature from the Middle Ages to the End of the Eighteenth Century. A Bilingual Anthology, Warsaw: Constans, 1999. First chapters online
