„Święte” pomniki w pejzażu Polski po 1989 roku

Abstract

The text presents the monuments dedicated to saints, priests and martyrs erected in Poland in the public space. The year 1989, apart from the economic, social and cultural changes, brought about essential modifications in monuments. This so-called catching up resulted in, among others, “the explosion” of the monuments of John Paul II as well as other works related with the sacrum. These were the figures and monuments of local God’s servants, the beatified and saints, patrons and other clergymen associated with a given place. After 1989, one can notice the return of the patrons into, for example, town heraldry. Their significance for local history and culture is accentuated more than before. In the collection under analysis, one can find both the monuments which are the figures of saints: Michael, Lawrence or saint Martin (horse monument in Odolanów) as well as the images of native saints: Adalbert, Bruno from Querfurt, Hedwig of Silesia. The objects which are more known are bigger; they are often of poor artistic quality. The examples include Jesus Christ in Świebodzin or the collection of sculpting stations making up the Beskidzka Calvary in Radziechowy. What is also noteworthy is the fact that the memory of local priests, sometimes martyrs, is also revived. Some of them, however, are amateur works. Another problem is connected with the situations in which those moments come into being quite fast, in which the transparency of procedures, good taste or law and required permits are not well taken care of. The examples of the Cracow monuments of Piotr Skarga (in pi. św. Marii Magdaleny) or John Paul II (in Wawel Castle) are good cases in point. The last part of the text pertains to the symbol of the cross, employed in monuments (the examples are the Millennium Monument in Kołobrzeg as well as the Papal monument erected in pi. Piłsudskiego in Warsaw).