The long text mentions the chapel at the Brzeżany castle, which served the Sieniawski family and was their burial place. The external appearance of the chapel is described in great detail, and a monument dedicated to Adam Hieronim Sieniawski is also mentioned. In addition, the left, smaller chapel is described, which contains, among other things, a monument to Anna Sieniawska, née Maciejowska. The text is also accompanied by relevant engravings and photographs (Source: "Ziemia. Tygodnik Krajoznawczy Ilustrowany', Warsaw 1913, no. 50, pp. 6-10, after: the Wielkopolska Biblioteka Cyfrowa).

A modernised reading of the text.

The castle chapel in Brzeżany.

The description of the Brzeżany castle ("Ziemia", no. 13) mentioned the castle chapel, containing invaluable treasures of sculptural art. The chapel was probably named such because of its close connection with the castle, as it is a sizeable building that could compete with many a church, both for its grandiose shape and the surface area enclosed by hewn walls. In fact, however, it served the Sieniawski family solely and exclusively, both during their lifetime and as their final resting place after death, and perhaps even more than the castle, its history is linked with the memorable history of the famous Sieniawski family. For it is also an epic in stone with its invaluable monuments in the form of marble tombs and metal sarcophagi. It is not our intention to decipher the entire chivalric poem enclosed by a masterly chisel in the exquisite marble and granite of the Sieniawski mausoleum - it will suffice if we serve the reader with at least a modest summary. It will not be amiss to mention that, like Brzeżany in general, the castle chapel in particular has found in Dr Mąciszewski an eminent singer of its fame and history, famous all over Poland - Count Wł. Dzieduszycki and several others have also written about it. Everything that has been written about it so far is undoubtedly very valuable and interesting, but its magnificent splendour deserves, in the present state of science, a more exhaustive historical monograph, and even more so an artistic one. Near the cortege wall, by the gate leading to the city, now the main one, there is a cross-shaped building, all of hewn stone, probably begun simultaneously with the construction of the castle, which was completed in 1554 by the Ruthenian voivode and field hetman Mikołaj Sieniawski. Various architectural features indicate that the chapel was built slowly, at intervals of about half a century, so that each generation added something to embellish and enlarge it. The front part bears characteristics of the Tuscan style of the late Renaissance. Four pilasters with Ionic capitals support an architrave carved in red marble, on which rests a facade. On the façade, in a triangle surrounded by rays, gleam the golden Hebrew letters: Jehovah, now damaged by a criminal hand. Above the windows, located on either side of the entrance door, are two stone statues of holy bishops: Stanislaus with Peter and Nicholas surrounded by children. Above this are three windows in a line, illuminating the choir. Differences in style are more evident inside the church. The chancel shows reminiscences of the Gothic style, while the two side chapels have a Renaissance style with a touch of Baroque. One of these chapels, the right-hand one, is completely finished and catches the eye with its accumulation of masterpieces, the multitude of masterly details, the beauty of its lines and the charm of its layout. Its monuments are among the best-crafted monuments of sculptural art in Poland, worthy of being housed even in the Wawel Castle. There are three of these monuments in the right-hand chapel. The entire western wall is occupied by a monument to Adam Hieronim Sieniawski. The Latin inscription under the coffin reads as follows: "For bravely, prudently, happily done business in peace and war, for honour, love and respect shown towards God and the dead, the Republic and the Polish kings, for fame, wealth and impeccability left to the most illustrious house: To Adam Hieronim Sieniawski, Grand Chamberlain of the Crown, (built) by Catherine of Sztemberg, this monument of love and faith, to his unhappy spouse and faithful spouse. (The royal monument is made of black marble, while the figure is made of red marble, and it is so beautiful that it can only be compared with the monuments in the Sigismund Chapel. At the top of the monument are four symbolic figures, two in the depth: Science and Generosity, two in front: Art and Wisdom. Higher up, in the background, a figure representing Strength. When seen from some distance, the monument gives a strange impression as it is illuminated by a glorimetre window, but remains in shadow. This is further enhanced by the third central column, which may have been erected at an earlier restoration to support the heavy facade, or may have been originally made for this purpose. Three Ionic columns rise from the two marble steps, supporting a canopy-shaped vault from which rosettes hang towards the interior. Behind the columns is a coffin with a knight in armour on it. By the northern wall of the chapel there is a triple monument to the Sieniawski family, the three sons of Adam Hieronim: Mikołaj, Aleksander and Prokop. Above the monument is a plaque surrounded by armatures. The top of the monument is formed by marble cornices. In the same chapel is an altar of black marble, the centre of which is occupied, against a background of dark purple velvet, by an oak cross with a beautifully executed lattice cast of Christ. The chapel is covered by a dome, beautifully decorated inside in the Baroque style and depicting the patron saints of the Sieniawski family in eight fields. It is illuminated by a glorification with the Sieniawski family coat of arms at the top. The second chapel, the left one, is poor in terms of stucco and ornamentation on the walls and the dome. It is also completely whitewashed and thus only brighter than the right one. The statues standing there were originally on either side of the great altar, but because they took up too much space, they were moved to the completely empty left-hand chapel. Entering the chapel, the first thing we see on the left is the statue of Anna, née Maciejowska Sieniawska, the third wife of Hieronim, Voivode of Russia, who died in 1574. A sculpture of a sleeping child is placed above this figure. The top of the monument is a shield without a coat of arms. The matron's face is as if puffy and the whole, not at all happily executed. It indicates that the artist was not an outstanding sculptor. To the right of the chapel rises the statue of Jan Sieniawski, also made of white alabaster, perhaps even by the same artist. The plaque with the Polish inscription above the monument had long since disintegrated before restoration. When the chapel was restored, the present Polish inscription was given, which is supposed to be a faithful copy of that one, preserved by Fr. Siarczyński (Ossoliński Library manuscript no. 1062, "Inscriptions in the old castle"). "Inscriptions in the old Sieniawski castle in Brzeżany"). He enumerates in a long poem the many virtues and merits of Jan of Sieniawa, who:

"Serving the immortal fame
As an almost knightly man,
Sparing us nothing,
Funding eternal defence.
So that the poor people,
To flee where in time of distress,
Which often on these countries
Passing over, feels to them.
For which sure defence
Received an eternal crown of glory".

The third wall of the chapel, facing the viewer, is occupied by a double statue of Mikołaj Sieniawski, Voivode of Ruthenia and Great Hetman of the Crown, founder of Brzeżno, and his son Hieronim, Castellan of Kamieńsk, Starosta of Halicz and Kolomyia. The monument was commissioned by Jadwiga of Tarłów, Hieronim's fourth wife, as the Latin inscription on the marble plaque informs us. The entire monument in the style of the Renaissance consists of two niches, placed above each other. Two angels can be seen on the Gothic gable, on the sloping canopy. The space between the columns is filled with decorative frames, and eight rakes each hang from the ceilings. The two figures in red Transnistrian marble depict reclining knights. The figures are framed by white alabaster plaques, which in relief represent the return of warriors from Tartar expeditions. In addition to the monuments, there are four metal sarcophagi in this chapel, in the shape of large coffins. The most magnificent of these (most probably containing the ashes of Prokop Sieniawski) stands on the right side of the chapel, just below the monument to Jan and Sieniawa. Its side walls are covered with bas-reliefs, festoons and rich fittings. It is the best preserved. The other three are less beautiful and badly damaged. The lid of one of them has collapsed almost completely, crushed, you can see, by the heavy figure of a knight. We have already said that the monuments, standing in the left chapel, were previously in the chancel. Now only the altar, erected in 1902 to replace the old, destroyed one, is there. The new altar did not keep the ancient image of the Virgin Mary, but replaced it with a Venetian mosaic painting due to the dampness in the chapel, while a branch cross with the figure of the Crucified Christ was hung on the right wall of the presbytery. The new altar, unquestionably very finely wrought in marble, is a beautiful work of chiselling, but is too small in relation to its surroundings and disappears completely in it. Next to the chancel is a small doorway to the sacristy, from which again one ascends a few stairs to a vaulted chamber with a high painting. This was the treasury - but this was not where the most precious things were stored in times of trepidation. Next to the wall separating the treasury from the sacristy was a secret entrance to a vaulted dungeon outside the chapel, in the fortress wall. From the chapel, one followed a narrow underground corridor to this dungeon, which contained a small hiding place with air ducts. We should also mention the paintings of the vault and the walls above the choir, which, despite their neglect, are quite impressive. They are executed with adhesive paints in the Baroque style with a touch of Rococo. Above the central window there is a plasterwork armature which, like the paintings, belongs to an era later than that of the chapels: the overload of signs points to the Saxon era. When the castle was abandoned at the end of the 18th century, when it was stripped of its ramparts and the ornaments of the lord's halls were scattered around the residences, the chapel was turned into a military storehouse (also because of the invaluable works of sculpture and construction). Traces left behind by this lawlessness are the battered hands, noses and feet of the alabaster figures and the emptiness of the sarcophagi. Later, the chapel was rented for a vodka depot. These were the saddest times of this house of God, because as a result of the dampness, the vault of the crypt collapsed, giving access to the sarcophagi, which were then completely plundered. It is hard to believe the insensitivity of the people who, knowing that such barbarism would eventually lead to utter ruin, did not quickly decide to remedy it. It was only public appeals that induced the owner of the St. Kr. Potocki to save these magnificent monuments (1878). The difficult work of restoring the monuments was undertaken by Leonard Marconi, professor at the Lviv Polytechnic. Some time later, when the monuments and sarcophagi had been restored to their former glory, Count Potocki entrusted Count Henryk Conti, a Florentine, with repainting the church. The artist created a beautiful painting on the vault, imitating sculpture, which has remained in very good condition to this day. During the restoration, the alabaster figures were given battered fingers and noses, but these are now carelessly carved, lacking proportions and resistance to external influences. The basements of the chapels cannot be seen at present. Some years ago, during their restoration, one wanted to go a little further into the depths, but just a few metres from the opening the air was so impossible that I had to give up the desire to see them. In the past, sarcophagi with the bodies of the Sieniawski family stood there. However, when the chapel was used as a military depot, the floors collapsed, revealing the vaults with the coffins. Obviously, they did not survive, having been plundered to the ground. It was only the restoration work carried out in 1878 that saved them from total destruction, and since then they have been kept inside the chapel and today are not very well respected by the public, who flock here during the service held once a year on St Mark's Day. It would therefore be advisable to surround them with iron balustrades, thus protecting them from being thoughtlessly disrespected by people who are not so much evil as to understand the precious value of these monuments. Until 1624 there was a chapel at the castle chapel, and in addition the town parish priest and his vicars were obliged to hold services on certain days. Katarzyna of Kostka Sieniawska, having buried her husband, daughter and three sons, appointed a provost and twenty lay priests. In 1728, Helena of Lubomirska Sieniawska added three priests and six clerics to the endowment, and brought in the Revs. In accordance with the patent of Joseph II, their congregation was dissolved and the chapel closed 1782. The church apparatus was distributed among poorer churches, and the abandoned chapel was left to the mercy of God. And so it languished rapidly until finally mercy was taken on it, returning it to its former glory. Today, it presents itself well, although some repairs, especially to the exterior, should be considered. We have briefly informed the reader about this magnificent monument, an adornment not only of Brzeżany but of the whole of Poland, and we only wish that more interest be taken in it by organising special collective tours, which will certainly pay off handsomely. The next description will focus on the city's parish church, interesting both for its architecture and for its historical monuments.