Kult wizerunków maryjnych w Rzeczypospolitej i jego specyfika na tle Europy
Marian Image Cult in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Its European Contextual Specificity

Author(s): Michał Janocha
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Marian devotion; Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; Baroque spirituality; Miraculous images; Image coronation
Summary/Abstract: The term “Rzeczpospolita” used in the title situates this study within the historical period between the Union of Lublin (1569) and the partitions of Poland, a time coinciding with the flourishing of the Baroque era in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Baroque culture shaped not only the arts, literature, and music but also religious perception and devotional practices. Following the triumph over Protestantism, especially under Sigismund III Vasa, Marian devotion intensified and became a defining feature of religious life. This article focuses on the Marian dimension of Baroque spirituality, particularly the veneration of miraculous images across Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Uniate churches. We explore the unique characteristics of Polish Marian imagery and devotion, such as the prevalence of paintings over sculptures, icon-inspired forms, and the widespread tradition of adorning images with metal dresses and crowns. A significant phenomenon is the popularity of Częstochowa and Salus Populi Romani types, and the frequent coronations of Marian images, culminating in the first papal coronation outside Italy in 1717. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth emerges as a culturally hybrid space where Marian devotion transcended ethnic and denominational boundaries, creating a shared religious landscape in a multiethnic, multiconfessional state.

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