Sacrum vs. profanum – ruined temples

Jerzy Uścinowicz

doi:10.37190/arc250309

Abstract

This article concerns interventions in ruined buildings that require more than conventional conservation. The author focused on searching for modern methods of saving temple architecture from ruin and profanation while ensuring its dignified transformation.

The work presents selected examples of full or partial reconstructions of temple ruins. It also shows the process of transforming spatial and functional structures as well as temple iconography, and addresses problems of architectural conservation and important ideological aspects of a symbolic and liturgical nature. Examples of rescue actions are the completed projects of reconstruction, restoration, and revitalization of temple ruins in Supraśl, Wałbrzych, Ząbkowice Śląskie, and Mielnik. They exemplify a method of “non-invasive” approach to monuments, with respect for their historical values and simultaneous endowment with new values.

Various examples of protecting temples from degradation, destruction, and profanation – through reconstruction, integration, adaptation, and incorporation – seem to stem from the same ideological assumptions. These processes are united by a main criterion – protection of existing material values, but also further development of spiritual values, which take precedence over them. In spiritual values, they see the search for truth and the meaning of temples’ existence, protection of their past and present mission in time and space.

The projects prove that in these processes, the methodology of hierarchical integration of forms into the structure of their material and spiritual values is crucial. This is achieved through hermeneutic discovery of this architecture’s tradition and exposition of its theological values.

Keywords

architecture, temple, ruins, tradition, sacrum

Keywords:
architecture
temple
ruins
tradition
sacrum

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2025

3(83)

Jerzy Uścinowicz*

Sacred vs. profane – ruined temples

DOI: 10.37190/arc250309

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

Abstract

The work concerns activities in sacral buildings in a state of ruin that require more intervention than conventional conservation. It focuses on search-

ing for modern methods of saving the architecture of temples from ruination and desecration, while ensuring its dignied transformation.

The work presents selected examples of full or partial reconstructions of the ruins of temples. It also shows the process of transformation of spatial

and functional structures as well as iconography of the temples. It covers problems in architectural conservation as well as essential ideological aspects

of symbolic and liturgical nature. Examples of such rescue and conservation activities are the contemporary projects to reconstruction, restoration and

revitalization of ruins of churches in Supraśl, Wałbrzych, Ząbkowice and Mielnik. They exemplify a design method of a “non-invasive” approach to

historical monuments, including respect for their historical values and adding new qualities at the same time.

These examples of the protection of temples from degradation, destruction and desecration – through reconstruction, integration, adaptation and

incorporation – have a common intentional basis. All of them seem to come from the same ideological premises. They also share a common main

criterion – the protection of existing material values, but also the further development of spiritual values. In this process of protection and conservation,

priority is given to spiritual values over material values. For spiritual values are where they see the search for the truth and the sense of their existence,

the authentic protection of their past and present mission in the time and space of this world.

The projects prove that the methodology of hierarchical merging of their forms into the structure of their material and spiritual values is of key

importance in this revitalization process. This is done through the hermeneutic discovery of the Tradition of this architecture and its exposition.

Key words: architecture, temple, ruin, tradition, sacrum

Introduction

This work – through a preliminary diagnosis of the con-

ict between the profane and the sacred, manifested in par-

ticular in the ruin of sacred architecture – presents cases

selected by the author of experimental and design rescue

measures for this architecture. In accordance with the status

of architecture and urban planning as empirical sciences,

the research presented here is of an implementation nature.

Its essence is the methodical recognition of architecture

and its state of preservation in terms of religious service

through the discovery and exposition of ideological values

encoded in the archetypal and symbolic structures of this

architecture.

Description of own research

The state of basic research on sacred architecture is lim-

ited to the author’s research, as no one has conducted such

research before. The research uses a hermeneutic method,

typical of the humanities, in the elds of history of religion,

theology and cultural anthropology. The author presented

this method and its application in relation to the herme

neutics of Orthodox temple architecture in detail in his

monograph (Uścinowicz 1997), therefore its in-depth justi

cation, which goes beyond the status and methodological

assumptions of this study, has been omitted here.

Sacred vs. profane

The “holy war” is heresy in Christianity. It is a rejec-

tion of Christ’s love, aggression directed towards the Holy

Spirit. Its witnesses are the destroyed homes of people and

the ruined houses of God – temples. An attack on a temple

* ORCID: 0000-0003-0303-4700. Faculty of Architecture, Bialy-

stok University of Technology, Poland, e-mail: j.uscinowicz@pb.edu.pl

98 Jerzy Uścinowicz

is sacrilege directed at Heavenly Jerusalem, of which it is

a preguration.

Ruined temples are an ethical, religious and social prob

lem. It is also an age-old problem of architecture. After ev-

ery war, hundreds of them remain. War tears away part of

their substance – it must be integrated, given new life, and

sometimes reconstructed from scratch. Evidence of their

original forms is often lacking. However, the spirit of the

place remains in them. There are several dozen such temple

ruins in Poland. In Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt and

the Balkans, there are hundreds, perhaps even thousands.

Much has changed today in the spiritual values of reli

gious people. In Africa and the Middle East, temples are

being demolished or converted into places of worship for

other religions, as in the past, but this is also happening

in the West

, which is closer to us. Aggression towards

sacredness is escalating, ranging from complete denial of

spirituality and secularisation to religious proselytism and

religious war. The forecasts are alarming. The magazine

Observatoire du Patrimoine Religieux reports that of the

approximately 100,000 churches in France today, including

45,000 parish churches, 5,000 to 10,000 temples managed

by municipalities, i.e., 5–10% of all temples, will be demol

ished by 2030. The situation will be similar in Germany,

the Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria and even in

very religious Italy. The Archbishop of Utrecht, Cardinal

Willem Eijk, has publicly announced the closure of a thou

sand churches in the Netherlands. In Western European

countries – as was the case not so long ago in the USSR,

where 70,000 temples

were demolished during the com-

munist era – churches are being systematically demolished

or converted into restaurants, discos, warehouses, hotels

and shops, or even brothels and toilets.

This is the case today in the West, and it was and still is

the case in Poland. We have lost dozens of temples forev

er, many have been desecrated and lie in ruins. A bizarre

event, showing a lack of respect for “other” sanctity, was

the establishment of the “Rink Weis” disco in the beautiful

Neo-Gothic Evangelical temple in Wieldządz in the 1990s.

A drink bar was set up in place of the altar, and a toilet was

installed directly below it, in the crypt under the altar. In

the middle of the nave, a huge stage with a pool for sex

(less perverse here, but more so in a separate room above

the porch)

was installed. The new sanctuary was even con-

secrated by a priest, who was probably unaware of what

was going on. A similar fate befell the beautiful Orthodox

church in Sokołowsko, located in a spa park, which was

converted into a dacha after World War II. Its dome, sym

bolising Jesus Christ, along with the cross, was cruelly cut

A notorious example of this was the desecrated and ultimately

demolished 19

-century Neo-Gothic church of Saint-Jacques d’Abbe-

ville in France in 2013. During its demolition, sacrilege took place – the

destruction of sacred sculptures and paintings. The cross of Christ was

thrown away with the rubble into a rubbish bin.

In 1914, there were 54,174 Orthodox churches, 25,593 chapels

and 1,025 monasteries in the Russian Empire. By 1987, only 6,893 chur-

ches (12%) and 15 monasteries (1.5%) remained in the USSR (Kesler

2021).

The information comes from the author’s site visit to Wieldządz

and interviews with witnesses to the events.

o so as not to arouse unnecessary associations. Inside,

an apartment was built, complete with a toilet. This is not

a unique case. The same thing happened on Holy Mountain

Jawor, where the Lemko religious sanctuary was converted

into a toilet for Border Guard soldiers. Is this right?

There are still dozens of such mutilated, desecrated tem-

ples, “silent witnesses”. Among them are former Roman

Catholic and Evangelical churches in Chodel, Jałówka, Miel

nik, Pisarzowice, Rumia, Wałbrzych, Wojnowice, Żeliszów,

Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches in Babice, Berezka,

Huta Różaniecka, Kniaziach, Krywe, Miękisz stand in in

creasingly less “permanent ruin”. They are waiting for better

times. Will they come?

Spirit and matter

Conicts between the profane and the sacred have always

existed, inscribed in the genetic code of this world. They in

tensied in the face of proselytism, religious wars and revo-

lutions. Today, they are rationally explained by the progress

of civilisation, especially the secularisation of life and its

subordination to the laws of economics, the glori cation of

material values and the dictates of money. But this conict

is also evident in culture. It manifests itself in art history

and in the protection and conservation of monuments.

One of the postulates of the 1964 Venice Charter is to aban-

don restoration. This reinforces the rather strict ban on recon-

struction. Article 15 states that […] all reconstruction work

should however be ruled out “a priori”. Only anastylosis,

that is to say, the reassembling of existing but dismembered

parts can be permitted (Karta Wenecka 1964). The document

recommends respecting the original substance of the struc

ture and material of the historic building, and all newly added

elements should be distinguishable from the original

ones.

Where it is impossible to use traditional technologies corre

sponding to the object, the use of new technologies that have

been tested in modern times is permitted. It also calls for the

protection of fragments of the building from all stages of its

construction, categorically prohibiting the replacement of

original building elements with faithful copies.

The 2012 Charter for the Protection of Historical Ruins

clearly states that ruins should be recognised as fully- edged

monuments (Karta Ochrony… 2012). But is recognising ruins

as fully-edg ed monuments (even though they will never be

fully so) and providing ad hoc assistance in legal protection

and conservation sucient? Is this all that is needed in view

of the possibilities that arise with the development of civil

isation? New methods of creation, contemporary materials,

techniques and technologies, especially virtual ones, oer the

possibility of moving to a dierent level of artistic activity and

visual reception, variable in time and space. Doctrinal provi-

sions are important; they serve to legally protect historic sub-

stances that are our heritage, defend the authenticity of forms

and historical truth, and counteract their falsication. But

does the sacredness of a monument exclude it from the pro

cedures applied in all other categories? Does it not require ac-

tions appropriate to its status and value? Can we act dierent-

ly than before in the creation of “sacred” ruins from the dead?

In some architectural monuments, material values play

a secondary role. They merely serve as intermediaries in

Sacred vs. profane – ruined temples 99

expressing values that are more important than themselves.

This category of monuments includes sacred architecture

– temples, which are primarily places of worship. Their pri

mary value, which requires respect and protection, is their

religious function. This is where their fundamental purpose

is fullled. The ideological basis for temples is the un

changing truth of Christianity: the truth of tradition. Tradi-

tion is the fundamental ontological criterion of Christianity,

the meaning of its functioning in the world. The history of

religion proves that the assessment of temple architecture

has always been based on premises other than architectural

ones. It was a vehicle for God’s truth, a theological state

ment whose source was tradition. And although temples

may be outstanding works of art, they always serve religion

rst and culture second. The conservation and restoration

of ruined temples is therefore not about simply reproduc

ing old forms, copying them, but about transposing their

essence and order and their structural functioning in the so-

called image of the whole.

The fundamental postulate and ideological core of all

conservation doctrines and practices is the struggle for the

authenticity of a monument, treating it in a manner appro

priate to the conditions of its creation – without falsication

or contamination. The authenticity of a sacred art monu

ment can be understood as the authenticity of its material

substance, forms, functions and technologies used, as well

as the authenticity of its ideological message, its impact

as an object of religious worship in the transmission of hi

erophanic content. It is therefore a matter of material, phys-

ical and historical transmission, but also spiritual, myst-

agogical, theological and symbolic transmission. It is this

that constitutes the supreme value referred to as sacrum

What, then, is the most important criterion of authenticity in

this category of architecture? Is it the value of cultural and

historical, material and physical heritage, or are they sacred,

spiritual and ideological values? Does the need to preserve

historical forms as carriers of the heritage of the material

and spiritual values of a given religion take precedence over

the need to preserve the truths of faith, worship, dogmas,

and the ideological coherence of theological and aesthetic

expression, which is the raison d’être of a temple, its on

tological value? Does theology not have more to say here?

Sacred art theology shifts – in confrontation with art

history – the focus of interpretation and axiological eval

uation of a work to the reception of what is inscribed in it.

It is not interested in the creators, historical and cultural

context, dating, belonging to styles and their purity. It is

not interested in the historiosophical or scientic value of

a work. It is indierent to its material aspect, unless it con

ceals signicant ideological content. It even assumes, to

a certain extent, its physical destruction. For it has a dier

In conservation doctrine, the authenticity of a monument is reco-

gnised not only in terms of its material substance, formerly considered

the highest value worthy of protection, but also in terms of its ideological

message, the methods used to create its structure, the authenticity of its

forms, functions, place of inuence as a place of worship, typological re-

ferences, hierophanic messages, etc. This is particularly applicable in sa-

cred architecture. The administrator of a church, according to rev. Janusz

St. Pasierb, has the right to demand that conservators respect the func-

tion that the monument fulls within worship (Pasierb 2001, 12–18).

ent perspective – history is merely a method of transition

to eternity, necessary for the deication and salvation of

the world.

What is the current meaning of the existence of ancient

sacred art? In the face of decay, ruin and inevitable destruc

tion, can it be reconstructed, and, when its time has run

out, deconstructed? What might be the scope of its possible

transformations?

Let us use selected examples to examine various actions

in temple ruins: from complete reconstruction of the ob

ject, through restoration consisting of the integration of de-

graded parts with contemporary reinterpretative additions,

to discreet revitalisation, consisting of the incorporation of

new elements that are ideologically signicant, formally

autonomous, but spiritually integrated with them.

Reconstruction

The rst example is the reconstruction of the 16

-centu-

ry Orthodox church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy

Mother of God in Supraśl, which is important for the cul

ture of the borderland. It is a unique temple, a phenomenon

in the history of architecture. Together with the churches in

Synkowicze and Mołomożejków from the turn of the 15

and 16

centuries, it forms a typologically distinct group of

Orthodox churches, Eastern Gothic, defensive, rectangular in

plan, cruciform or cross-domed, four-pillar (nine-bay), sin

gle or triple apsidal, anked by four towers. Their tripartite,

centric-longitudinal, spatial-liturgical structure, canonical

for Orthodox churches, was overlaid with Gothic elements.

Their exterior resembles Western Latin churches, while their

interiors resemble Eastern Greek-Russian churches.

The katholikon in Supraśl, with its unusual Orthodox-

Gothic architecture and magnicent iconography derived

from the Balkan culture of the 2

half of the 16

century,

has a tragic history. Its history – from its creation to its de

struction – is a testimony to the progressive neutralisation

and elimination of the values of Orthodox art. This art used

to occupy an important place in Poland, especially in the

borderlands. It co-created the indigenous core of the coun

try’s multi-ethnic and multi-religious culture. After its con-

version to the Uniate Church in the 17

century, the church

gradually began to lose its original character and ideologi

cal coherence. The original iconostasis was replaced with

a Baroque one in 1664. Some of the unique frescoes were

destroyed, painted over or covered when new stucco deco

rations were added to the walls. The original interior design

was changed. Side altars, a new pulpit and a choir balcony

were added. After the return to Orthodoxy in 1839, an at

tempt was made to partially restore the original decor, but

this process was interrupted after the monks were forced

to leave the monastery in 1915. Damaged during the in

terwar period and nally during World War II – rst by

the So viet army and then, after 1941, by the German army

– the temple was blown up on 23 July 1944 (Fig. 1). Af

ter this act of vandalism, the church remained in ruins un-

til the 1980s. Thirty fragments of the original frescoes, re-

moved by conservators from the stumps of pillars and walls,

have survived to this day. These fragments, along with old

photo graphs, engravings and post-inventory drawings, are

100 Jerzy Uścinowicz

evidence of the church’s unique iconography, most likely

created by an artel led by “Serbin Naktarij Malar”.

The ruinous state of the church was always considered

temporary. How could one consider the famous Suprasl

Lavra, the spiritual centre of Polish Orthodoxy, which had

existed for ve centuries, without its spiritual heart: the ca

tholicon? However, when the state took over the monastery

and its extensive lands after World War II, the temple was

not reconstructed, even though it was technically possible

to do so – a large part of it remained stable, and methods for

raising such structures from ruins were already known. The

protruding stumps of walls and pillars were cut o, creating

an “impermanent ruin”. Nevertheless, thanks to the gen

erosity and eorts of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox

Church, the temple was reconstructed on its former foun

dations (Fig. 2). This was done contrary to the provisions of

the Venice Charter and the Charter of Ruins.

This was done – and rightly so. For what testimony could

the ruined Orthodox church in Supraśl have provided?

What could it have told us, apart from the story of desecra

tion and the loss of former spiritual values? What message

could it convey as cultural heritage, apart from exposing

material destruction, decline and the desecration of a cult

that once thrived here? And this is a Lavra! A phenomenon

of Orthodox architecture and art in a cultural borderland.

The only Orthodox temple of such importance and so far

west. Does not it deserve a new life? Even without the high

status of a cultural monument, but with the highest status of

a temple of Orthodox worship.

Incorporation

Another example of rescue eorts in ruins is the con-

version project of a church in Podgórze, Wałbrzych. It is

a neo-Gothic Evangelical church from the early 20

cen-

tury, where Lutherans prayed until 1964, when their Ger-

man-speaking parish was dissolved and the congregation

left. The temple was then taken over by the Wałbrzych mu

nicipality. The space was handed over to the Graphic Arts

Factory, which set up a paper warehouse there. Only the

sacristy was left for religious use, serving as an Orthodox

church for the faithful. However, the printing house did not

take care of the church. All its furnishings were removed.

An entrance for lorries was cut into the south wall. No ren

ovations were carried out, and no mining damage was re-

paired. In the early 1990

, a re broke out in the building,

seriously damaging the roof structure and side galleries. In

1994, the temple was nally abandoned. No one wanted it.

Demolition was not protable for the municipality. After

the Evangelicals refused to take over the church, the Ortho

dox took pity on it.

The temple required immediate rescue (Fig. 3), so it un

derwent thorough conservation. The roof was completely

replaced, and most of the structures of the portals, arches,

beams and ceilings, walls, pillars and stairs were restored.

However, the biggest problem from the very beginning was

the location of the church and its size. The temple could not

be protected from vandalism and devastation – break-ins,

burning of the tower, smashing of windows, vulgar inscrip

tions on the walls, desecration of the altar, icons and litur-

Fig. 2. Supraśl, Church of Zwiastowanie Przenajświętszej Bogurodzicy

[Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God],

view after reconstruction from the southwest, 2018

(photo by J. Uścinowicz)

Il. 2. Supraśl, cerkiew Zwiastowania Przenajświętszej Bogurodzicy,

widok po rekonstrukcji, od strony południowo-zachodniej, 2018

(fot. J. Uścinowicz)

Fig. 1. Supraśl, ruins of the church after its destruction by the Nazis

on July 23, 1944

(photo by P. Koziński, 1947,

source: Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences,

neg. no. 1255R)

Il. 1. Supraśl, ruiny cerkwi po zburzeniu przez hitlerowców 23 lipca 1944 r.

(fot. P. Koziński, 1947,

źródło: IS PAN, nr neg. 1255R)

Sacred vs. profane – ruined temples 101

gical vestments. The enormous volume made it dicult to

maintain and conduct Orthodox services.

The guiding principle behind the restoration of the for

mer church (Uścinowicz 2003) was to incorporate an in-

dependent, yet geometrically connected, temple-sanctuary

into its nave (Fig. 4). Both temples – the Orthodox church

and the Catholic church – remain separate, but at the same

time complement each other, creating a community of li

turgical time and space. The temple-sanctuary serves both

as a temple and as a hierateion. In the rst case, the altar in

the apse serves as the bema, while in the second, the tem

ple is a sanctuary – the Holy of Holies. Its front wall with

three entrances and iconic reliefs of Christ Pantocrator and

the Mother of God then serves as an external iconostasis,

and the nave as an external courtyard for the celebration of

festive services.

The new chapel is a rotunda. In terms of its concept, it

refers to the Kuvuklion (gr. Κουβούκλιον) of the Church of

the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Derived from the archi

tecture of early Christian memorials and baptisteries, it has

its prototype in the ancient rotunda of St. George in Thessa

loniki and the rotundas of Rome and New Rome – Constan-

tinople. They also became a model for the architecture of

Great Moravia, which spread from the time of the Cyril and

Methodius mission of the Apostles of the Slavs, including

in Lower Silesia (Małachowicz 2008).

A slightly dierent example in this category of rescue

measures is the Church of St. George in Ząbkowice Śląskie.

It is a former chapel belonging to the rst municipal hos

pital

. The rectangular temple has a single nave, a hall lay-

out, no pillars, and a narrower, rectangular chancel covered

with a rib vault. It is an oriented church with buttresses on

the west and north sides. The body of the church – sim

ple, compact, single-storey – is covered with a gable roof,

topped with a distinctive octagonal prism with a dome. The

nave of the temple, formerly covered with a mirror vault,

is now open. From above, it is closed only by the vault of

heaven (Fig. 5). The only thing that reminds us of the Ortho

dox temple in the church is a simple iconostasis with icons

of Christ Pantocrator, the Mother of God with the Child,

Saint Panteleimon, Saint Alexius, Saint Nicholas and Saint

George. In 2004, an initiative was launched to establish

a monastic skete, or hermitage, for four monks here.

The main intention of the project (Uścinowicz 2004)

was to recreate the Gothic shape and structure of the former

The hospital was founded in 1319 by Prince Mikołaj of Ziębice

and Mayor Jan Socklin. A chapel existed next to it as early as 1363. In

1538, it passed from the hands of the Holy Sepulchre Order of Nysa to

the ownership of the town. In 1646, the nave of the chapel collapsed, and

around 1720, a new nave was added to the surviving part with the pres-

bytery vault, which has been preserved in the walls to this day. This was

done thanks to Christophomus Thieller, as commemorated by a plaque at

the entrance to the church. In 1824, the chapel underwent another reno-

vation, carried out by Bittner and Rotter. In 1824, it was extended with

a sacristy, and in 1857 it was renovated again. The façade decoration was

probably made during another renovation in 1903. Fragments of Gothic

frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and the Mother of

God, as well as a huge scene depicting Saint George ghting a dragon,

have been preserved on the wall of the presbytery. They date back to

the end of the 14th century and were restored in 1969–1970. They are

among the most magnicent representations of this type in Silesia.

Fig. 3. Wałbrzych, former Evangelical church,

view of the ruined interior from the west, 2003

(photo by J. Uścinowicz)

Il. 3. Wałbrzych, dawny kościół ewangelicki,

widok zrujnowanego wnętrza świątyni od strony zachodniej, 2003

(fot. J. Uścinowicz)

Fig. 4. Wałbrzych, Orthodox Church of Wszystkich Świętych

[All Saints], interior view of the former church

with the new rotunda-style church,

design by J. Uścinowicz, 2004

Il. 4. Wałbrzych, cerkiew prawosławna Wszystkich Świętych,

widok wnętrza dawnego kościoła wraz z nową cerkwią-rotundą,

proj. J. Uścinowicz, 2004

church. This was to be achieved primarily by recreating the

former form of the roof, with glass in the central part and

solid in the western part. A new, independent structural

framework was introduced into the interior of the temple.

The western gable wall is also to be reconstructed, with the

roof trusses exposed, similar to half-timbered walls.

The design separates sacred and secular functions.

A skete is planned in the place of the western porch of the

church. It houses a refectory, a library-scriptorium, an icon

workshop and two monastic cells. The cells are located on

the top oor, “under the sky”. They open onto the courtyard

and have their own gallery, which surrounds the courtyard,

creating a kind of cloister, used by the monks for contem

plation during their sky-high walks. The former presbytery

of the church, now an Orthodox church, is to be used for

102 Jerzy Uścinowicz

the celebration of monastic services. Its outer western wall

will be closed o by a panel iconostasis. Under the former

rainbow arch, its central part will be created – with the gates

of paradise and deacons and icons of Christ Pantocrator,

the Mother of God Hodegetria and the Eucharist. Inside the

presbytery, a new iconostasis in the form of a templon will

be erected. The naos of the temple will then be the inner

courtyard of the skete. In its centre, as in the biblical Eden,

a symbolic Tree of Life – the Cross – will be planted. On the

highest ceiling, a terrace-garden will be created, a transposi

tion of the Garden of Eden (Fig. 6).

The solutions used in both temples are a nod to ancient his

tory, but also a discreet departure from it. This was achiev

both through the ecumenical status and character of the

new architecture and iconography, as well as through the

ideological unity and consistency of their spiritual impact.

Christian tradition is not a closed book, but a living process

that develops alongside humanity, its spirituality and reli

gious sensitivity.

Integration

A dierent case of activities in ruins is the project to re-

vitalise the church, Orthodox church, presbytery and former

castle walls in Mielnik on the Bug River. There is no sci

entic basis for a complete reconstruction of the forms that

once existed here. The project (Uścinowicz 1997), al though

carried out with a greater degree of innovation and free-

dom, remains traditional in its concept and method, strong-

ly rooted in the archetypal-symbolic system of forms, spac-

es and boundaries. It attempts to rebuild and sup plement

the damaged architecture and inscribe into it the spirit that

once existed here.

The stronghold, and later the castle, is a unique complex

in the cultural and natural landscape of Mielnik. Located on

a high river terrace escarpment, it is divided into two parts,

the upper and lower parts, already referred to in the late

Middle Ages as the Upper and Lower Castles. The lower

part contains the ruins of a former church and presbytery,

as well as underground relics of the castle walls. The high

er part consists of the remains of the walls of the former

stronghold, crowned by the ruins of an Orthodox church. In

the past, the castle had a defensive status. Today, it is unable

to protect the remaining ruins of temples from destruction.

The origins of the stronghold date back to the 11

centu-

ry. It is mentioned in 1260 in connection with the descrip-

tion of the stay of Daniel Romanovich the King of Rus in

the Orthodox Church of the Most Holy Mother of God in

the stronghold. He prayed here before the miraculous icon

of Spas Izbavnik (Ипатьевская летопись 1908, 778–791).

The later castle was built in the 1

half of the 14

century

and expanded in the 15

and 16

centuries. In 1420, Prince

Vytautas founded the Catholic Church of Corpus Christi,

the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Nicholas. The locations

of both temples – the Orthodox church and the Catholic

church – are not entirely known. The present church was

probably built before 1577. During the wars, it was demol

ished and rebuilt several times, and in the 19

century it

was converted into an Orthodox church. In 1915, it was

burned down, and in 1940–1941, it was partially demol

Fig. 6. Ząbkowice Śląskie,

Orthodox monastic skete of Święty Jerzy [St. George],

interior view from the west,

design by J. Uścinowicz, 2004

Il. 6. Ząbkowice Śląskie,

prawosławny skit monastyryczny Świętego Jerzego,

widok wnętrza od strony zachodniej,

proj. J. Uścinowicz, 2004

Fig. 5. Ząbkowice Śląskie, former Roman Catholic church,

view of the ruined nave walls, 2003

(photo by J. Uścinowicz)

Il. 5. Ząbkowice Śląskie, dawny kościół rzymskokatolicki,

widok zrujnowanych ścian dawnej nawy, 2003

(fot. J. Uścinowicz)

Sacred vs. profane – ruined temples 103

ished. Today, it is devastated (Fig. 7). Only free-standing

fragments of sloping walls with unsecured crowns, open

vertical cracks and ssures have survived. The brick vaults

of the crypts have collapsed. The church and the castle

walls are threatened with destruction due to the landslide.

The chapel of Saint Alexander Nevsky, built in 1865 on the

hill of the Upper Castle, is also in a state of ruin, close to

destruction. It was demolished to its foundations in 1927.

The project (Uścinowicz 2018) brings together all the ru-

ins of the temples, leaving their authentic parts – silent wit-

nesses to worship, culture and history – unchanged. Between

the ruins, it introduces steel and glass structural cover ings

and transparent reinterpretative llings

, striving to pre -

serve and protect the ruins and the spirit that still exists here.

Today, the ruins of the church are an open space. Its

bounda ries are marked by the relics of former pillars, walls

and basement vaults. The space is discreetly lled with

a new, openwork structure of galleries, platforms and stairs,

bypassing the former crypts and ossuary. It non-invasive

ly preserves the single space, ensuring communication. At

basement level, it runs axially between the former pillars,

culminating at the altar with a croce dipinta

. At ground

oor level, it is centripetal, running circumferentially. It al

lows a view into the basement space, which conceals the

former nine-eld structure of the temple (Fig. 8).

The temple was given its former Gothic appearance in

the design. The theological symbolism was also restored:

it is reminiscent of the edge geometry of Gothic star vaults

and the rainbow beam with a stained glass crucix. The

boundary of the former chancel with the eastern wall with

the altar retable was discreetly marked. The missing gaps

in the thick walls will be lled, like a display case, with

a double glass and aluminium structure that preserves their

tectonic character. It will also ensure their structural inte

gration (Fig. 9). The walls have been lled in accordance

with the degree of recognition of their structure and form

– these are authentic sections of brick walls with a Wendish

pattern, a steel Corten coating, lling in the gaps in the tow

ers, cornices and pointed window glyphs, and a steel and

glass structure with windows set inside, which will be lled

with stained glass depicting saints. This will dierentiate

Reinterpretation is a form of dialogue with history. It remains

intentionally consistent with the so-called interpretative supplement in-

troduced by Jan Tajchman, proposing a dialogue between architectural

forms at the level of contemporary understanding of their former ideas.

In the case of ruins, it consists in evoking [...] thoughts and associa-

tions, rather than restoring the monument to its fullest state (Tajchman

2012, 9–25). In the architecture of a temple, anointed by Tradition and

its transmission (paradosis), this dialogue constitutes an indispensable

eschatological opening to the sphere of the sacred.

The icon of the Crucixion was the most widespread type of icon

in medieval Italy. Byzantine-Italian crucixes painted on wood, croce

dipinta, are typical of 12

- and 13

-century Tuscan art and the so-cal-

led maniera greca. They were brought to Italy by Syrian monks. These

huge icons, known as croci storiate, together with gures of the Mother

of God and St John the Theologian and scenes from the Passion, once

crowned the top of every iconostasis architrave in Italian churches. They

were commonly called the Cross of Saint Francis or the Cross of San

Damiano. It was this cross that became the object of Saint Francis’ con-

templation, as depicted by Giotto di Bondone in a fresco in the Basilica

of Saint Francis in Assisi. These icons have survived and remain a link

between the Christian East and West to this day.

the old from the new. Without falsication, ensuring ideo-

logical and formal integrity (Fig. 10).

The project also envisages the consolidation of the ru

ins of the Orthodox church. As a “permanent ruin”, it is an

open-air trace of a place of worship, covered with a steel

and glass display case. In its centre is a memorial altar stone

with a croce dipinta cross – common to the sister Churches:

Orthodox and Catholic. Ecumenically

The primary purpose of the reinterpretative llings is to

combine the “old” with the “new”. This is achieved by glass

with its dual image creation method – real and illu sory. Us

ing the optical process of light reection and transmission, it

enables the creation of both a real image of the forms located

next to and behind the glass surface on the retina of the hu

man eye, as well as their illusion in the form of shining after-

images. By analysing visual stimuli, the brain not only strives

to analyse the situation in real time and place, but also con

stantly synthesises it in relation to the past and future. With

a double or even triple status (view, afterimage and trans

parency), the llings used on the walls of the ruin are both

a carrier of the value of matter and its absence: the project

creates an image of the existence of form, leaving it in a state

of ruin, and the illusion of lling its absence with light-giv

ing matter. Light brings us closer to its immaterial percep-

tion, intro ducing us to the level of spiritual interpretation

The ruins of the Catholic church and the Orthodox church,

as well as the remaining castle walls, will remain part of the

overall landscape. The new wall and roof structures provide

The cross is a symbol and icon of the Crucixion. It has many

types and representations, established in both Eastern and Western Chri-

stianity. Regardless of its roots, it is always the cross of Christ. It cannot

be limited by the name of a region, origin or religion.

It is worth recalling here one of the principles of Władysław

Strzemiński’s theory of vision, according to which […[ in the process of

seeing, what is important is not what the eye mechanically captures, but

what a person realises from their vision (Strzemiński 2016, 53).

Fig. 7. Mielnik, ruins of the Church of Święta Trójca [Holy Trinity]

at the Zamek Dolny [Lower Castle], 2017

(photo by J. Uścinowicz)

Il. 7. Mielnik, ruiny kościoła Świętej Trójcy

na Zamku Dolnym, 2017,

fot. J. Uścinowicz

104 Jerzy Uścinowicz

the necessary geometric contours for the incomplete forms

and their at, textured brick llings. They also have an ad

ditional advantage: they enable a new interpretation of the

old walls and their tectonic closure, as well as protection

against further destruction, without closing the door to fu

ture transformations. When used as surfaces for holographic

creations and 3D video mapping, they create a virtual vision

of architectural forms and their iconic image, changing in

real time and still veriable in the future.

The aim of the actions taken in Mielnik was to stop

the destruction and desecration of the ruins of the church

and Orthodox church, to raise their spiritual status and to

merge them. However, the motivation behind these actions

prompts deeper reection on the fate of fallen temples.

What kind of sanctity remains in them when there are no

longer priests and worshippers for whom they were built,

when there is no prayer? When spiritual life in them has

been exhausted and their durability is interpreted as “im

permanent” ruins that are reanimated every few years?

A picturesque arrangement of stones and bricks, mutilated

stumps of walls without form, an abstract guess at their

original form, an afterimage of ancient history, the substan

tial value of matter? Is the spirit of prayer, unconned by

walls and vaults, still present in them?

Fig. 9. Mielnik,

view of the former Church

of Święta Trójca [Holy Trinity]

from the southwest,

design by J. Uścinowicz, 2018

Il. 9. Mielnik, widok dawnego

kościoła Świętej Trójcy

od strony południowo-zachodniej,

proj. J. Uścinowicz, 2018

Fig. 8. Mielnik, proposed

restoration and revitalization

of the ruins complex:

former church, former Orthodox

church, rectory, and castle walls

with an underground

archaeological museum,

design by J. Uścinowicz, 2018

Il. 8. Mielnik, projekt restauracji

i rewitalizacji zespołu ruin

dawnego kościoła,

dawnej cerkwi, plebanii i murów

zamkowych z podziemnym

muzeum archeologicznym,

proj. J. Uścinowicz, 2018

Sacred vs. profane – ruined temples 105

Summary

More important than the numerous conservation issues

are the ideological aspects resulting from the dierent na

ture of temples as spiritual places. These seem to determine

the respect for their historical value with a reinterpretation

appropriate to this nature and the development of new theo

logical values that contemporary homo religiosus brings to

worship

The examples presented here of personal experiences

related to the restoration of temple ruins have a common

ideological basis: integration. In Old Slavonic, this term

means spiritual and physical healing (scs. исцѣленїѥ

доуши і҃ тѣла). Its aim is to rebuild, preserve and protect

the ex1isting material values of these temples, but with pri

ority given to spiritual values. They are subject to constant

theological reinterpretation over time, in ideological ac

cordance with Tradition. In the process of its transmission

(paradosis), it is in them that the truth, purpose and mean

ing of the temple’s existence lie. For it is through them that

it is fullled on man’s journey from Paradise to Heaven

ly Jerusalem. Where they are profaned or eliminated, the

The rescue measures presented in this paper in relation to tem-

ple ruins are part of the current global trend of attempting to integrate

new and historic forms of architecture, using contemporary materials,

techniques and technologies, known as reinterpretative inlls. Some

examples of contemporary projects demonstrate a creative approach

to the ruins of sacred architecture, including: the Kolumb Museum in

Cologne (architect Peter Zumthor), Blencowe Hall in Cumbria, the Ara

Pacis Museum in Rome (architect Richard Meier), Norwich Cathedral

Hostry (Hopkins Architects), the restoration of the church of Corbera

d’Ebre in Terra Alta (architect Ferran Vizoso), the covering of the archa-

eological ruins of St. Maurice Abbey (Saint-Maurice, architect Savioz

Fabrizzi Architectes), Villa Romana del Casale (Sicily), reconstruction

of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Siponto (Manfredonia, Edoardo Tre-

soldi), Museum of Architecture in the former Bernardine monastery in

Wrocław (architect E. Małachowicz). These examples demonstrate cre-

ative awareness and a proper understanding of the ideological aspects of

sacred architecture and its soteriological signicance.

fundamental value is not the authenticity of the material,

the exhibition value of the building material, the forms of

architecture and construction, or the historiosophical cred

ibility of their origin, stylistic aliation, dating, existence

in history or attribution. The most important thing is the

ideological message of this architecture and its spiritual

values. It is this that is discovered, rebuilt and continued;

it precedes and guides all actions; it determines how ruins

and their values are raised from the dead. For it is for this

that the temple exists. It is to lead us to salvation; this is its

fundamental purpose.

Each era brings with it its own unique perception of re

ality, distinct from previous ones. This is followed by dif-

ferent experiences and artistic practices, which require new

forms and methods of expression, adequate to the evolving

consciousness and intuitive sensitivity. Without them, it re

mains trapped, unable to create creative works and extend

the values of cultural heritage in them (Strzemiński 2016).

When Józef Muczkowski decided that a work of art

should constitute a harmonious whole, manifested in an

intact form and pure colour, he opposed ancient values to

modern ones, resulting in all kinds of “cleansing” resto

rations of monuments to restore their stylistic unity (Dettlof

2006). Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz opposed this, arguing that

the progress of scientic knowledge is inevitable and that

knowledge of past styles in art changes over time, some

times fundamentally. He advocated the widespread use of

contemporary art in historic architecture: […] a true art

lover should combine knowledge and accurate assessment

of mo nu ments with an understanding of living art and new

forms of development. […] His task [is] to support modern

art wherever it can be done without harming monuments

(Szyszko-Bohusz 1913, 14–18).

In the process of raising buildings from ruins, the meth-

odology of hierarchically integrating forms into a structure

of values seems to be crucial. This is achieved through her

meneutic discovery of the tradition of this architecture and

exposure of its spiritual values, accessible through sacred

Fig. 10. Mielnik,

interior view of the former

Church of Święta Trójca

[Holy Trinity] from the west,

design by J. Uścinowicz, 2018

Il. 10. Mielnik, widok wnętrza

dawnego kościoła Świętej Trójcy

od strony zachodniej,

proj. J. Uścinowicz, 2018

106 Jerzy Uścinowicz

symbols and archetypes (Uścinowicz 1997). It is in discov-

ering the content of their message, their theological signif-

icance – in moving from the level of aesthetics to the level

of religion – that we should seek a way to understand the

meaning of their existence, and thus to authentically pro

tect their former and present mission of existence in time

and space.

Tradition is not a static, closed and constant truth in this

process. It is dynamic and open to new theophanic reve

lations and new forms of expressing them, constantly re-

newed and deepened. It also abolishes the basic dichoto-

my of history, because the future is part of the past, and

the past participates in the future. Paul Evdokimov rightly

says: Tradition is an agreement with the future of what is

in the past (Evdokimov 1986, 251). That is why Tradition

never worships ashes. It fuels the ame, as Gustav Mahler

claimed. But does it still smoulder in the ruins of temples?

Translated by

Halina France-Jackson

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dawniczy PAX, 1986.

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Streszczenie

Sacrum vs. profanum – zrujnowane świątynie

Artykuł dotyczy działań w obiektach zrujnowanych, które wymagają interwencji większej niż konwencjonalna konserwacja. Autor skoncentrował

się na poszukiwaniu nowoczesnych metod ratowania architektury świątyń przed rujnacją i profanacją, przy jednoczesnym zapewnieniu jej godnej

transformacji.

W pracy przedstawiono wybrane przykłady pełnych lub częściowych rekonstrukcji ruin świątyń. Ukazano także proces przekształceń struktur prze

strzennych i funkcjonalnych oraz ikonograi świątyń i poruszono problemy konserwacji architektonicznej oraz istotne aspekty ideowe o charakterze

symbolicznym i liturgicznym. Przykładem działań ratunkowych są wykonane projekty rekonstrukcji, restauracji i rewitalizacji ruin świątyń w Supraślu,

Wałbrzychu, Ząbkowicach Śląskich i Mielniku. Egzemplikują one metodę „nieinwazyjnego” podejścia do zabytków, z poszanowaniem ich wartości

historycznych i jednoczesnym nadaniem im nowych wartości.

Różne przykłady ochrony świątyń przed degradacją, zniszczeniem, profanacją – poprzez rekonstrukcję, integrację, adaptację i inkorporację – wydają

się wychodzić z tych samych założeń ideologicznych. Procesy te łączy główne kryterium – ochrona istniejących wartości materialnych, ale i dalszy

rozwój wartości duchowych, które mają nad nimi pierwszeństwo. W wartościach duchowych widzą bowiem poszukiwanie prawdy i sensu istnienia

świątyń, ochronę ich przeszłej i obecnej misji w czasie i przestrzeni.

Projekty dowodzą, że w procesach tych kluczowa jest metodyka hierarchicznego scalania form w strukturę ich wartości materialnych i duchowych.

Dokonuje się to poprzez hermeneutyczne odkrywanie tradycji tej architektury i ekspozycję jej wartości teologicznych.

Słowa kluczowe: architektura, świątynia, ruina, tradycja, sacrum