Conservation experts believe some of the oldest fragments are survivors of the Gothic makeover and vaulting of the corridors at the end of the Middle Ages, while the newest paintings date to the mid-18th century.
The discovery came amid a project led by the monks of Tyniec, in cooperation with the Social Committee for the Restoration of Kraków’s Monuments (SKOZK). The goal is to open both the cloisters and the abbey’s subterranean areas to visitors under one continuous tour route.
“Some of the oldest pieces found here, including a coat of arms in one of the vault keystones, harken back to the late 1400s. We even uncovered remnants of their original color scheme,” SKOZK said in a statement.
Among the more notable finds is a Rawicz coat of arms, featuring a maiden riding a bear. This heraldic motif belonged to the abbey’s head abbot, Andrzej Ożga, who served from 1477 to 1486. Conservation teams identified traces of the piece’s medieval paint, now visible on the carved surface.
Examinations of various archways revealed changing styles through the centuries—such as foliage entwined with ribbons from the early 16th century and cartouche-like designs from the early 17th century. Farther along, experts rediscovered and reemphasized Baroque-era geometry painted in 1755 by Andrzej Radwański, then one of Kraków’s leading late-Baroque artists.
Founded nearly a thousand years ago, Tyniec Abbey is Poland’s oldest functioning Benedictine monastery. Already, preparations are under way for its millennial celebration in 2044. Restoration work is partly funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and by SKOZK, drawing from the National Fund for the Revalorization of Kraków’s Monuments.
(jh)
Source: PAP