Średniowieczne malarstwo elewacyjne na Śląsku i jego niedawno odkryty zabytek na wieży Kościoła Najświętszej Marii Panny na Piasku we Wrocławiu .......... 413

MEDIEVAL FACADE PAINTING IN SILESIA AND ITS RECENTLY DISCOVERED MONUMENT ON THE CHURCH TOWER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY ON THE SAND IN WROCŁAW

The northern climate is not conducive to the survival of medieval polychromes on external walls. In the case of Silesia, the few examples preserved in less than perfect condition can be supplemented with descriptions and drawings from the late 19th c. of the lost works. One of the more remarkable examples was the polychrome on the southern façade of Wrocław’s Town Hall, depicting scenes relating to war and peace (c. 1500). Depictions of armed horsemen are known from the facade of a house in Wrocław’s market square and from Niemodlin Castle (the late 14th c.), while a fragmentary Crucifixion from that time has been preserved on the wall of a church in Świerzawa. The open side vestibules of the Wrocław Cathedral were decorated with religious scenes, and the façade of the Bishop’s Palace with famous persons and historical scenes. The recent discovery (2015) is the painted decoration of an architectural niche on the tower of St. Mary’s Church on the Sand in Wrocław (the second half of the 14th c.). The main depiction is the figure of St. Christopher (poorly preserved). The church’s location on an island and the road leading through it undoubtedly played a significant role in the choice of this theme.