Ok…I’m breaking my promise of being away for a day or so…because on the return trip to my mom’s home town of Koprzywnica, I finally made it inside the old church…and I had no idea just how OLD it really was.
This church dates back to the High Middle Ages…the 13th century…and it SHOWS! It’s literally bleeding through the walls! Medieval hand-painted frescoes that were whitewashed centuries ago, are now coming through the fading white paint…ancient stone pillars, gilded gold, ebony & ruby altars that make you feel small and insignificant…hand carved wooden benches that are sculptures in their own right…and all of this inside what is considered a simple parish church? The mind has gone beyond the boggling stage.
A friend of mind (half-sarcastically) wonders if all of Poland is obsessed with churches. I’ll be the first one to admit that my ancestral homeland is a little too concerned with matters of this nature, when there is a desperate need for 21st century urban infrastructure. But none of that has anything to do with stunning, astonishing, ancient creations such as the Church of St. Florian. In a nation where religion held a people together in times of political and social extinction (something countries from Ireland to Greece can sympathize with), it’s architectural wonders such as this church that represent the timless melding of art, history, and civilization. It reminded me why I love being a history teacher…and why the distant past is such an seductive, unstoppable voice inside of me. I’ve included a selection of pictures below which I hope you enjoy.
