Średniowieczne drzwi brązowe i ich cykle obrazowe jako wyraz liturgii : analiza wybranych przykładów

Abstract

The medieval bronze doors and its pictorial cycles as an expression of liturgy: analysis of selected examples The principal goal of this paper is to discovery a relationship between pictorial pro-grams of bronze doors of some european churches and the liturgy celebrated in these churches. There is a group of doors, that have been decorated with images represent-ing scenes of Old and New Testament. These are doors from Hildesheim, Verona, Płock and doors made by Bonanus of Pisa – from cathedrale of Pisa and cathedrale of Dariusz Tabor CR122 Monreale. Its pictorial cycles reveal some balance between images of Old and images of New Testament. On the one hand the Old Testament pictures seems to forecast the events of New Testament. On the other hand the doors of Płock, Piza and Monreale have strictly christological image program, although at the beginning of narative Old Testament elements were also introduced. All these programs are the result of the theological knowledge and sensitivity of clergymen, who designed them at that time. Lech Kalinowski interpreted church doors as a symbole of Christ. However only the alegorical interpetation of liturgy, having its origine in the carolingian culture, can give answer to the question on the relationship between images of doors and liturgy. The course of liturgy and its acts were understood as a recontrsuction of events of Christ’s life. So the background of the pictorial, christological cycles of bronze doors was a christological interpretation of the liturgy. However it is not only the matter of presenting the episods of life of Christ, but also of visualization of two mysteries – the Mystery of Incarnation and the Mystery of Salvation. The Gniezno door with the life cycle of saint Afdalbert, th doors of Trani and of Ravello, made by Barisanus, where hagiographic and symbolic representations predominate, as well as the door of Augsburg, whose symbolic images make many difficulties in reading them, are the exceptions and special cases. There are considerable difficulties in finding theirs connections to the liturgy celebrated in the church. Therefore they must be researched in a special way in the future