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Stained-glass window "Christmas" in the Latin Cathedral in Lviv, photo R. Kędzielewski, tous droits réservés
Photo montrant Stained-glass window \"Christmas\" in the Latin Cathedral in Lviv
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ID: POL-001102-P

Stained-glass window "Christmas" in the Latin Cathedral in Lviv

Lviv | Ukraine
ukr. Львів
ID: POL-001102-P

Stained-glass window "Christmas" in the Latin Cathedral in Lviv

Lviv | Ukraine
ukr. Львів

The Arch-Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commonly known as the Latin Cathedral (to distinguish it from the Armenian Cathedral), is one of the oldest sacred architectural structures in Lviv. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages and the incorporation of the city by Casimir the Great in 1356. The church, which had been under construction since around 1360, was consecrated in 1481. The originally Gothic building took its present shape during renovations carried out in the second half of the 18th century by Archbishop of Lviv Wenceslas Hieronim Sierakowski. During this time, the old side chapels were rebuilt and new chapels were erected, including the St Joseph's Chapel, which contains a stained-glass Christmas window.

The Latin Cathedral probably had colourful window decoration as early as the 15th century. However, these works of art did not survive the fire that destroyed almost the entire city in 1527. The currently existing stained-glass windows were created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The trend of restoring or even rebuilding monuments in the spirit of the epoch in which they were created, characteristic of the conservation doctrine of the time, also left its mark on the Latin Cathedral. The decision to carry out a partial restoration and regothicisation of the cathedral, above all of its presbytery, was taken in the autumn of 1889. Neo-Gothic, regarded at the time as a synonym of noble antiquity, Latin and Polish, was to bring out the original features of the cathedral lost during the Baroque period. During the works carried out in 1892-1899, the windows of the presbytery were filled with a set of colourful stained-glass windows. The result was a patriotic composition combining historical and religious themes. Among their designers were such artists as Józef Mehoffer , Teodor Axentowicz and Edward Ignacy Lepszy. The stained glass window with the Christmas scene is located in the Chapel of St Joseph, situated on the south side of the presbytery. Framed by a neo-Gothic bordure, the depiction is based on a traditional compositional scheme. Positioned on an axis, the newborn Jesus is surrounded by Mary and Joseph leaning over him. The figures are depicted against a simple landscape with elements of vegetation and ancient architecture. The most important colour accent is provided by the robes of the portrayed - the blue cloak of the Virgin Mary and the red of Joseph. The whole is illuminated by the golden colour of the figure of the infant Jesus and the nimbus. The lower part of the stained glass window bears the foundation inscription "Through the efforts of the Confraternity of the Holy Trinity, 1898. ".The windows of the side chapels were also then filled with stained glass, which are independent works in relation to the ensemble located in the presbytery. Thematically, they relate primarily to the call of the individual chapels and do not form a stylistically or thematically unified group of works.

In the second half of the 18th century, when St Joseph's Chapel was built, the stained glass technique was not a popular method of interior decoration. Consequently, it was not used to decorate the windows of this chapel. Stained-glass windows only appeared in the chapel during the regothicisation carried out at the end of the 19th century.

In addition to the Christmas scene described above, the second window featured a representation of the Flight into Egypt. Both compositions were funded by the Cathedral Brotherhood of the Holy Trinity in 1898 and were executed by the Tiroler Glasmalerei und Mosaik Anstalt in Innsbruck. However, the name of the artist who designed these stained glass windows is not known. Stylistically, the Christmas stained glass presents a neo-Gothic influence, expressed mainly in the decorative framing of the composition. However, the execution technique differs from the Gothic stained glass designs to which it refers. The figural parts shaped from large panes of glass and the low importance of lead connections to the overall composition are rather reminiscent of the so-called stained glass paintings popular in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Time of origin:
1898
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