The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12th and 15th centuries

Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

doi:10.37190/arc230201

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show the relationship between the monastic rule and the color scheme of Cistercian buildings in the current territories of Poland and the Czech Republic in the 12th–15th centuries. In the research, which constitutes the basis of the study, the following methods were used: stratigraphic and architectural in situ as well as historical, analytical and comparative. The Cistercian monastic rule recommended formal asceticism and so it was forbidden to make colorful paintings, floors, and stained glass windows. As a result of the research, three periods in the color transformation of Cistercian architecture have been distinguished. The first period (end of the 12th century – 1st half of the 13th century) was characterized by partial compliance with the aforementioned rules. The second period, which took place in the 2nd half of the 13th century, was the beginning of a departure from formal asceticism. In the third period (14th and 15th centuries), there was a decisive departure from the original monastic rule. At that time, the color scheme depended on the financial condition of the order, the level of the painting abilities and the imagination of creators. The monastic rule fell into oblivion.

Keywords:
architecture
color
poland
bohemia
cistercians
order
rule

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Ewa Łużyniecka*, Kateřina Charvátová**

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian

Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries

Introduction

The color scheme of Cistercian architecture, which has

been preserved to this day, most often results from numer-

ous transformations. Its origins are connected with the for-

mation of the Cistercian order and the foundation of the

rst monastery in Burgundy near Dijon in 1098, which was

later called Cîteaux. Numerous reconstructions and reno-

vations of Cistercian monasteries that were carried out over

the course of nearly ve hundred years contributed to the

signicant destruction of medieval polychromes. Conser-

vation works, sometimes carried out without any research,

disrupted the medieval color scheme. However, they be-

came the basis for the stereotype of the austerity and asceti-

cism of Cistercian architecture and thus its “colorlessness”

and modernity as understood at that time. Le Corbusier,

who was invited to write an introduction to the book about

the Cistercian abbey Le Thoronet, also succumbed to this

stereotypical thinking. He found conrmation of his own

ideas in Cistercian buildings – all construction techniques

were of equal value if they were used in a minimalist spirit.

This spirit should not arise from a pointless and secular

search for a decorative eect. It was supposed to result from

an intellectual and humble attempt at creating forms which

could be sanctioned by their use itself. Their task was to

give reinforced concrete the properties of a natural material

of the same rank as stone. Truth and technological austerity

were to be expressed, for example, by leaving intentional

and accidental traces of construction works. For Le Cor-

busier and the modernist movement of the time, th

e gray

and raw material of Cistercian architecture was a perfect

illustration of the construction and technological truth. We

nd similar words in the Cistercian treatises which were

written by St. Bernard (1190–1153), abbot of the Clair-

vaux monastery in Burgundy. During his lifetime, there

was a real expansion of the order; by 1153, 343 mona-

steries were established. The rst branches of the monas-

tery in Cîteaux were established in France in Morimond

(1017), La Ferte (1113), Pontigny (1114), Clairvaux (1115)

and they were later recognized as the order’s proto-abbeys.

Until 1118, monasteries in French Preuilly and Trois-Fon-

taines were founded. The rst Cistercian abbeys in Italy

were established in 1120, in Germany in 1123, in England

in 1229, in the territory of today’s Switzerland in 1131,

in the territory of today’s Belgium and Spain in 1132, in

Austria in 1135 and in the 1140s Cistercians appeared in

Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Bohemia, and Po-

land. From the 1140s up to the 15

century, 46 male ab-

beys were founded in the territory of Bohemia and Poland

– 33 mo nasteries in Poland and 13 mo nasteries in the lands

of Bohemia. From the 1140s till the end of the 12

century,

14 abbeys were founded, in the 1

half of the 13

century

– 28 abbeys; in the 2

half of the 13

century – 17 abbeys,

in the 2

half of the 13

century – two monasteries and in

the 1

decade of the 15

century – the next two. Thus, the

greatest dynamics of the spread of monasteries in this area

was in the 13

century (Fig. 1).

The aim of the article is to compare theoretical ideolog-

ical assumptions of the monastic rule with their practical

application in shaping color of Cistercian buildings in the

territory of contemporary Poland and the Czech Republic.

At the beginning, the focus was on discussing the princi-

ples of the rule. Cistercian statutes, which were published

in print, constitute important sources of information on

this subject [1]. The order rule is also discussed in many

works on the history of the order [2]–[7].

DOI: 10.37190/arc230201

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

* ORCID: 0000-0001-9664-0720. Faculty of Architecture, Wro -

cław University of Science and Technology, Poland, e-mail: ewa.

luzyniecka@pwr.edu.pl

** ORCID: 0000-0002-3927-1284. Faculty of Education, Charles

University, Czech Republic.

4 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

The main part of the article consists of research con-

clusions concerning color transformations of Cistercian

buildings from the 12

to the 15

century. The subject

of the study were color combinations in abbeys of male

convents. The knowledge on this subject is scattered and

unordered – it has been included in many publications,

therefore we will limit ourselves to indicating publica-

tions concerning the territory of Poland and the Czech Re-

public. The rst group of publications includes synthetic

reviews of the Cistercian architecture of the above-men-

tioned countries or their selected regions [8]–[15]. The

second type of studies consists of catalogs of monastic

architecture, in which there are descriptions of individ-

ual abbeys [16], [17]. Another group are discussions of

medieval architecture that include descriptions of abbeys

[18]–[20]. Mural paintings which can be found in some

abbeys are also worth mentioning [21]–[27]. A lot of valu-

able information is also provided by unpublished works

stored in conservation oces and the results of conserva-

tion works posted on the websites of oces, monasteries

or communes. Both authors of the article, who have been

dealing with Cistercian issues and studies of monasteries

for over 30 years, focusing mainly on historical (e.g. [6],

[28], [29]) or architectural (e.g. [30]–[32]) issues.

Research methods and the subject of analysis

The research work was carried out in two ways. It began

with the analysis of color guidelines contained in the Cis-

tercian monastic rule. During the research, we applied the

classic method of research in the eld of history based on

the analysis of written sources and the use of studies on the

rule contained in the works of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and

the documents of the annual General Chapter meetings.

The next stage of works was to strictly dene the subject of

the research. The term “color scheme”, which denoted col-

ored works of similar characteristics appearing in a particu-

lar place, was introduced. Their complexity will depend on

the state of preservation. The selected works will include

both the relics of the polychrome columns or keystones

as well as painting decorations of the entire room, e.g.

a chapel. When selecting examples for the analysis, several

criteria, which made it possible to compare the objects in

terms of history and style, were adopted. The initial criteri-

on was the territory limited to present-day Poland and the

Czech Republic. The second criterion was the time limit

connected with the period of establishing Cistercian seats

in the Polish and Bohemian lands – from the beginning of

the 1140s till the end of the Middle Ages, conventional-

ly adopted as the 15

century. Color obviously appeared

when the rst buildings were built. The third criterion is the

limitation of Cistercian buildings to male monasteries, i.e.

complexes of buildings usually surrounded by a wall with

a monastery church, an enclosure, a chapel and farm build-

ings. Buildings outside these complexes (e.g. buildings in

grange, properties in cities) were not taken into account.

After selecting the buildings, the next stage of analyzing

the examples took place. Some of the color schemes were

discovered by the authors themselves, others were revealed

during restoration works. Several methods, starting with

the aforementioned classical method, were used during

this stage. In some monasteries, in situ architectural eld

research, which concerned the analysis of the polychrome

structure, was also carried out as well as stratigraphic and

technological comparisons. The photographic documen-

tation was prepared by the authors of this article. Some

measurements were developed by the method of simpli-

ed analog photogrammetry and digital photogramme-

try correlated with computer graphics programs, mainly

with AutoCad environment applications. In these cases,

the works of the team of the Faculty of Architecture of

Wrocław University of Science and Technology were used.

Fig. 1. Cistercians in Poland and Bohemia in the 12

and 15

centuries:

1 – location of male monasteries, a) transformed color scheme of the building, b) preserved color scheme of the building,

2 – convent, fragment of a painting from the abbey in Ląd (elaborated and photo by E. Łużyniecka)

Il. 1. Cystersi na terenie Polski i Czech w XII–XV w.: 1 – lokalizacja męskich klasztorów, a) przekształcona kolorystyka budowli,

b) zachowana kolorystyka budowli, 2 – konwent, fragment malowidła z opactwa w Lądzie (oprac. i fot. E. Łużyniecka)

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries 5

Among the discussed group of 46 Polish and Bohemi-

an abbeys, the authors found relics of color combinations

from the 12

and 15

centuries, which could be analyzed,

in 21 abbeys only (Table 1). The remaining monasteries

were either completely remodeled in the Baroque style or

their paintings were removed during restoration works. In

these cases, the paintings were destroyed or exist under

later plasters and are waiting to be discovered. A total of

97 color combinations of varying complexity were test-

ed. It was a material color scheme, i.e. a combination of

colors resulting from dierences in the building material

used, as well as polychrome and thus architectural paint-

ing. It includes architectural polychrome, the composi-

tions of which were devoid of narration and subject only

to the forms of architectural details and other elements

of the building. If, on the other hand, painting compo-

sitions have their own narrative layer and only partially

refer to architectural forms, we will call them polychrome

painting. Both color combinations were characteristic of

the building’s façade and interior. They were most often

found in monastery churches and chapels as well as in en-

closure buildings – usually in chapter houses, refectories,

and cloisters.

Color guidelines in the Cistercian monastic rule

The most important rules of the Cistercian order were

developed in the 12

century. These were usually guide-

lines for the spirituality and organization of the religious

life. Among them there were also architectural guidelines

of two types – mainly general recommendations for the

functional organization of the monastery and individual

rooms. They did not dene precisely either the projection,

the body, the architectural detail, and even the technique

Town

Abbey

foundation

Country

Number of color

depictions

Location of color

combinations

Bierzwnik 1286 Poland 1 eastern cloister

Henryków 1222–1228 Poland 8

church, chapter house, eastern and northern

cloister

Hradiště ~1177 Czech Republic 1 flooring

Jędrzejów 1140–1149 Poland 8

church, chapter house, northern cloister,

flooring

Kamieniec

Ząbkowicki

1247 Poland 1 church

Kołbacz 1173–1176 Poland 1 church

Koprzywnica 1186 Poland 10 church

Ląd 1175? Poland 8 oratory, eastern cloister, abbey chapel

Lubiąż 1163/1175 Poland 5 church, cellar, flooring, roofs

Mogiła 1222/1228 Poland 7

church, chapter house, eastern cloister,

flooring

Oliwa 1178–1186 Poland 3 church

Osek 1198 Czech Republic 3 church, sacristy

Paradyż 1232–1235 Poland 4 church

Pelplin 1276 Poland 4 church, northern cloister

Plasy 1144 Czech Republic 6 church, Royal Chapel

Rudy Raciborskie 1252–1258 Poland 3 church

Sedlec 1142 Czech Republic 1 church

Sulejów 1176 Poland 7 church, chapter house

Wąchock 1179 Poland 10

church, chapter house, refectory,

eastern cloister

Zlatá Koruna 1263 Czech Republic 1 chapel

Žďár 1251 Czech Republic 5 church

Table 1. Color combinations from the 12

and 15

centuries in Cistercian abbeys in the territory of present-day Poland and the Czech Republic

(elaborated by E. Łużyniecka)

Tabela 1. Zestawienia kolorystyczne z XII–XV wieku w opactwach cysterskich na terenie obecnej Polski i Czech

(oprac. E. Łużyniecka)

6 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

Summarizing the above considerations, it can be stat-

ed that the guidelines of the Cistercian rule, which were

dened as early as in the 1

half of the 12

century, in

practice prohibited the use of any multi-colored architec-

tural decorations. Granting permission only to paint cru-

cixes, in fact, meant that it was forbidden to decorate

the interior with any paintings. Moreover, there was no

permission for xing stained glass and it was prohibited

to make decorative ooring in the church and other rooms

of the monastery. However, it was possible to paint the

church door white.

Applying the monastic rule

in creating color scheme

The Cistercian monastic rules presented here were un-

ambiguous. Monks were supposed to achieve spiritual

as ce ticism by renouncing and resigning from the sensual

ex periences which could be caused by multi-colored dec-

orations of architecture. The purpose of the analysis of

the preserved the color scheme remnants in the abbeys of

Poland and the Czech Republic was to nd an answer to

the question of the extent to which the rules of asceticism

were followed. As a result of the research, three periods in

the formation of color combinations were distinguished.

The rst period was characterized by partial observance

of religious rules (end of the 12

and the 1

half of the

century). The second was the beginning of departing

from formal asceticism (the 2

half of the 13

century)

and the third was characterized by the omission of the

original rules (14

and 15

centuries).

Partial asceticism – end of the 12

century

and the 1

half of the 13

century

According to the current state of research, it was not un-

til the end of the 12

century that the rst brick buildings

of Cistercian abbeys in Poland and Bohemia began to be

erected. Then we can talk about the oldest color combi-

nations, which were dominated by an ascetic approach to

colors. Formal moderation accompanied the construction

of monumental façades of monastery churches (Figs. 2.1–

2.3). Façades were usually not plastered and their color

scheme resulted from the materials used. Stone walls were

subdued compositions composed of gray or cream-yellow

dimension stones. In some buildings the contrast between

the building material was small (Jędrzejów), whereas

in others it was greater (Sulejów). However, only in the

church in Wąchock did the builders deliberately use dier-

ences between brown and yellow-gray sandstone. Sand-

stone dimension stones were arranged in stripes and the

frames of round windows were made of voussoirs. This

layout is visible both outside and inside the presbytery of

the church. The same color composition was repeated in

the southern aisle – the black and white polychrome of

the window imitated the two-color layout of the building

material (Fig. 3).

Brick façades in the period in question were most of-

ten ascetic in expression and thus corresponded to the

monastic color rules. They were usually dominated by

of creating architecture. The second group of guidelines,

which were contained in the Cistercian rule, included ar-

chitectural recommendations dealing with selected litur-

gical equipment, elements of architecture or furnishings.

This group comprises a few aesthetic guidelines, including

color ones.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux is widely recognized as the

creator of the aesthetic program of Cistercian buildings.

He was the author of letters which were copied and read in

every monastery’s abbey. His most famous letter “Apologia

ad Guillem” from the years 1123–1125 discussed, among

other things, architecture and sculptural decoration, which

resulted in a conict between the Cluny and Clairvaux Ab-

beys. In this letter, St. Bernard criticized the exaggerated

size and expensive furnishings of the Church of Cluny III.

He was also a staunch opponent of the sculptural décor of

cathedrals from the mid-12

century, which abounded in

zoomorphic representations, e.g. sirens and grins depict-

ing themes from the Apocalypse and the Old Testament.

Cistercian architecture was to be characterized by asceti-

cism understood as a liking for simplicity and the choice

of the most tried and tested types of structures. However,

asceticism should not be equated with the poverty of ar-

chitecture because Cistercian buildings were to be durable

and solidly constructed [12, pp. 99–106], [13, pp. 74–80].

In the 1

quarter of the 12

century, the document “Ex-

ordium cistercii”, which was edited with the participation

of St. Bernard and in which the origins of the Cistercians

and the norms of conduct in the order were presented,

was published. The annex to the document was the text

of “Capitula”, which included the rst color guidelines.

Gold and the derivative colors were prohibited. This ap-

plied to liturgical vestments – chasubles were to be sin-

gle-colored, and none of the items used by monks could

be made of gold, silver, or precious stones. The exception

was the chalice and tube for receiving the Blood of the

Lord (stula). “Capitula” also included a key guideline for

our considerations – paintings were allowed exclusively

on wooden crosses [15, p. 24].

The guidelines contained in “Capitula” were repeated

and supplemented in the Statutes enacted in 1134. Accord-

ing to the statutes, it was forbidden to place pictures in

churches and monastery rooms because they could be an

obstacle to meditation and contribute to looseness of reli-

gious discipline. The only exception was a permission to

paint crucixes [1, pp. 16, 17]. It was also not possible to

use colored stained glass and windows had to be lled with

white glass without any gural representations [1, p. 31].

In the ordinance of the chapter of 1148, it was forbid-

den to make decorative ooring in the church and in the

monastery [1, p. 486]. The chapter meeting in 1157 for-

bade the use of gold on crosses. However, it agreed on

painting church doors white. At that time, there was also

a ban on building stone or wooden bell towers of consid-

erable height next to churches. These buildings did not

comply with the rules of the order’s asceticism [1, p. 61].

Care was taken to observe the prescribed rules, for exam-

ple the chapter of 1159 ordered the removal of multi-col-

ored stained glass windows within three years, if such

were placed in churches [1, p. 70].

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries 7

the red color of the building material. The second color

was white, but it was most often used to subtly empha-

size selected architectural elements only. This role was

played by the joints in the façades of the abbey in Oliwa,

Kołbacz and Mogiła – they formed a net of lines between

the bricks. In a few cases, small, bright stone elements

were used to decorate the arches of openings – for exam-

ple, in the windows of the church in Mogiła, gray sand-

stone voussoirs were juxtaposed with red-brown ceramic

ttings. A similar principle was applied in the interior of

this church. Probably immediately after the construc-

tion, the strip layout of the building material was visible

in the semi-columns of the aisles. The whiteness of the

frieze background plaster in the aforementioned church

in Mogiła and the slaked lime of panels in Oliwa were

slightly stronger in expression. The western gable of the

church in Kołbacz can be considered to be a unique work

and denitely breaks the rules of formal asceticism. It is

entirely lled with a decorative rosette made of radially

arranged tracery elements.

The gable of the church in Kołbacz may prove that

from the very beginning the Cistercian rule was not strict-

ly followed with regard to minor architectural elements.

Another conrmation of this tendency is represented by

multi-colored oor tiles which have survived in Polish

and Czech abbeys. Therefore, the decree of the chapter

of 1148, which forbade making decorative ooring, was

ignored. Some of the oldest tiles were discovered during

excavations in Lubiąż and they were single items. A sig-

nicant number of tiles were found in Wąchock; some of

them were placed again in the church triforium ooring

during its renovation. The elements around the church in

Fig. 2. Material color of the façades of monastic churches: 1 – Sulejów, 2 – Wąchock, 3 – Mogiła (photo by E. Łużyniecka)

Il. 2. Kolorystyka materiałowa elewacji kościołów klasztornych: 1 – Sulejów, 2 – Wąchock, 3 – Mogiła (fot. E. Łużyniecka)

Fig. 3. Material color of the interior of the church in Wąchock:

1 – eastern wall of the presbytery, 2 – presbytery window, 3 – polychrome of the southern aisle window (photo by E. Łużyniecka)

Il. 3. Kolorystyka materiałowa wnętrza kościoła w Wąchocku:

1 – ściana wschodnia prezbiterium, 2 – okno prezbiterium, 3 – polichromia okna nawy południowej (fot. E. Łużyniecka)

8 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

Hradiště had a similar form. Originally, they were compo-

sitions of small forms which created large quarters. The

tiles were often glazed in green, yellow, brown, and red

colors. They were arranged in various geometric motifs

– star-shaped rosettes, herringbone, scale, etc. Probably

from the middle of the 13

century, the variety of deco-

rative motifs increased. Glazed tiles were decorated with

a braided-palmette ornament of various patterns, e.g. tiles

in the presbytery in the church in Mogiła (Fig. 4).

The observance of asceticism in color scheme of Cis-

tercian abbeys was thus partly connected with the size of

the building work and was probably facilitated in the ini-

tial period of establishing Cistercian abbeys. At that time,

monks were busy securing the basic needs of life because

in most cases they came to previously undeveloped ar-

eas. Only sporadically did Cistercians take over already

existing buildings, e.g. the gord church in Jędrzejów and

probably the Benedictine church in Lubiąż (both relict

preserved). Most often, monks were on their own and af-

ter arriving at a given place they built makeshift houses.

It was only later that they prepared themselves for con-

struction works on a larger scale. These were dicult and

long-lasting actions and were referred to as the process

of “nesting” in source literature. At least one generation

passed from the moment of foundation to the construction

of the rst brick monastery buildings and their color com-

binations. Thus, it was not a time when people thought

about colorful decorations.

Departure from asceticism

– 2

half of the 13

century

With the passage of time, the original rules of the Cis-

tercian rule were gradually alleviated. In the 2

half of

the 13

century, the principle of restraint in decorating

façades continued. Color combinations were subdued

and almost exclusively limited to material combinations.

Similarly to the previous solutions, brick elevations were

diversied with stone elements. This two-color material

composition from the end of the 13

century has been

preserved in the western portal of the Silesian abbey in

Rudy. Cream sandstone elements of supportive columns

and arches were juxtaposed with red and brown ceramic

ttings.

We can see an increase in the number of preserved po-

lychrome relics dated to the mid-13

century. In the ab-

bey temple in Henryków, on the arcades of the chapel’s

wreath, the relics of authentic architectural polychrome

have been preserved. In the southern line of chapels, the

brick arch was painted in two colors, alternating with

red and gray (Fig. 5). On the border of the northern line

of chapels and the transept, there are nished heads and

shafts of supportive columns, which were covered with

red, gray-bluish, and azure paintings [30, p. 251].

Also in the abbey in Jędrzejów, there were paintings

from the 2

half of the 13

century, which were preserved

in the chapter house that does not exist today. We know

Fig. 4. Floor tiles, re-laid or discovered during excavations:

1 – Wąchock, 2 – Hradiště, 3 – Mogiła

(photo by E. Łużyniecka, K. Charvátová)

Il. 4. Płytki posadzkowe, wtórnie ułożone lub odkryte w czasie wykopalisk:

1 – Wąchock, 2 – Hradiště, 3 – Mogiła

(fot. E. Łużyniecka, K. Charvátová)

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries 9

them from the descriptions by Władysław Łuszczkiewicz

[33, p. 108] made on the basis of drawings and watercolors

by Bolesław Podczaszyński. This description shows that

the stone portal of the chapter house was multicolored and

artistic eects which were obtained by the chiaroscuro of

sculptures of architectural details were supplemented with

a color that distinguished their individual elements. The

red-painted portal shafts of the columns were contrasted

with multi-colored paintings of capitals and bases. Their

background was the color of natural stone, whereas some

elements of plant ornaments were colored red and others

green or yellow (Figs. 5.2–5.4).

The color solutions, which have been preserved to

this day in the monastery interiors, also come from the

period in question. It became a rule to put whitewash or

thin plaster on surfaces. Geometric or oral ornaments in

a linear-plane style were painted on them. Lines imitating

the pattern of dimension stones have been preserved in

Koprzywnica on the walls of the church [25, pp. 197, 198]

and on the western portal.

The decorations on one of the keystones in the church

in Wąchock were made in a similar way. On its circu-

lar, yellow palate, which was outlined with a black line,

there was a cross with arms in the form of double red and

black petals, fastened in the middle with a red ower with

a colorless border [32, pp. 423, 444]. Further traces of

polychrome have been preserved inside the chapter house

– remnants of red, black, green and yellow paint have sur-

vived on the capitals of the columns, and whitewash relics

with a medallion surrounded by an inscription dated to the

half of the 13

century have survived on the southern

wall (Fig. 5.5).

According to this principle, the interior design of the

refectory in Wąchock, which is dated for the years 1260–

1275, was made [34, p. 57]. The walls of the refectory

were painted in a light yellow color and against this back-

ground there were red lines imitating the construction of

the wall. It should be added here that the painted composi-

tion did not correspond to the actual location of the joints

between dimension stones. On the western wall there is

a circle with a tendril of the palmette and the image of

a lily, and on the eastern wall – a drawing of a bird. The

wall with windows was covered with slaked lime and

a light yellow color, and two circles were painted in its

upper part. The best preserved is the eastern circle with

a lily-shaped cross, lled with light gray, red, blue, and

black. The round arches and ribs of the two vaulted bays

were painted in light gray, red, light gray, blue, and black

Fig. 5. Polychromes in the monastery interiors:

1 – the arcade of the northern line of chapels in the church in Henryków (photo by E. Łużyniecka),

2–4 – portal little columns and a cantilever in the non-existent chapter house in Jędrzejów (source: [33, p. 108]),

5 – chapter house in Wąchock, 6, 7 – refectory in Wąchock (photo by E. Łużyniecka)

Il. 5. Polichromie we wnętrzach klasztornych: 1 – arkada północnego ciągu wieńca kaplic w kościele w Henrykowie (fot. E. Łużyniecka),

2–4 – kolumienki portalu i wspornik w nieistniejącym kapitularzu w Jędrzejowie (źródło: [33, s. 108]),

5 – kapitularz w Wąchocku, 6, 7 – refektarz w Wąchocku (fot. E. Łużyniecka)

1 2 3

6 7

10 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

stripes. Vaulted arches were entirely covered with light

gray and were fragmented with apparent grouting in the

form of wide red stripes or red stripes with a black line in

the middle. These were graphic compositions with a deli-

cate drawing and subdued colors (Figs. 5.6–5.7).

The painting decoration of the Royal Chapel in the

abbey in Plasy was characterized by similar features [28,

pp. 263–267]. This detached chapel was erected to the east

of the church in around 1265. In the Baroque period, it was

incorporated into a magnicent granary. In around 1270,

the lower oor of the chapel was decorated with frescoes

which were placed on a sand background (Figs. 6.1–6.4).

It is the oldest and almost complete example of the color

scheme of a Cistercian interior in the researched group.

Decorations were made in a linear-plane style with a pre-

dominance of geometric motifs. Figural representations,

which were not present in the previous examples, also be-

came a part of the decor. These were the gures of saints,

i.e. Wenceslaus, Vitus and Benedict, which were placed

inside medallions. Colorful decorations were also made

on the chapel’s rood arch. The face of the arch was painted

in stripes, alternating red, blue, and sand-like. On the sof-

t of the arch, this motif was repeated and supplemented

with medallions depicting the Lamb of God. The cover-

ings of the ve-section non-rib vault were to symbolize

the bright sky with images of red points in the form of

trefoils, four-leaf and ve-pointed stars. The edges of the

vault were highlighted with a thick red and blue line. They

converged in a key which was accented by a six-pointed

star with a white circle in the center. The polychrome also

covered the brackets, where the red color was juxtaposed

with blue and yellow.

The polychrome of the portal of the monastery church

in the abbey refers to the color style of the Royal Chapel

in Plasy (Fig. 6.5). It is a linear composition painted in

two colors, alternately red and light sandy. The frame of

the composition is an arch surrounded by two lines with

a triangular geometric ornament between them. The interi-

or of the composition was designed in the form of a cross,

the arms of which are outlined with a double red line. The

outer elds were lled with a thick scale ornament which

was additionally decorated with a dot inside each scale. In

the central point of the cross there is a drawing of a laby-

rinth which in the symbolic sphere is a metaphor for hu-

man life and a journey into one’s own interior – it reects

the “paths of Jerusalem”.

Fig. 6. Polychromes in the interiors of the monastery in Plasy:

1–4 – Royal Chapel (photo by K. Charvátová),

5 – reconstruction of the decoration of the western portal of the church E. Łużyniecka

Il. 6. Polichromie we wnętrzach klasztoru w Plasach:

1–4 – kaplica Królewska (photo by K. Charvátová),

5 – rekonstrukcja dekoracji portalu zachodniego kościoła (fot. E. Łużyniecka)

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries 11

Skipping the rules

– the 14

and 15

centuries

From the 14

century, the monastic rules regarding

color of Cistercian buildings ceased to be applied. The

color compositions of the stone façades created at that

time were still connected with the building material – for

example, gray-sand walls made of slate in Kamieniec

Ząbkowicki and of dimension stones in Sedlec (Fig. 7.1).

The red color was still dominant in brick façades, how-

ever, gray additions were more and more decorative. An

interesting example of such an approach is the porta mor-

tuorum in the northern arm of the church transept in the

Pomeranian church in Pelplin (Fig. 7.2). The portal was

made of gray-cream carving decorations of articial stone

and red-brown ceramic ttings (Fig. 7.3).

In some cases, color of brick façades was additionally

enriched by introducing dierent shades of bricks. Col-

or dierences connected with the method of burning the

building material were used. Cherry-colored bricks were

juxtaposed with dark brown ones, achieving the eect of

a black “spotted” red plane or creating a rhombus pattern

(Figs. 7.4, 7.5) – for example churches in Lubiąż, Koro-

nowo, and Pelplin.

The tricolor eect in the façade was sometimes achieved

by means of painting. The polychrome of the window and

the cornice has been preserved on a fragment of the east-

ern wall of the southern transept of the church in Hen-

ryków (Fig. 7.6). The redness of bricks in the wall was

strengthened, the grouts were underlined with a white

stripe, the under-eaves cornice was painted in red and

gray-blue stripes, and the double fan and window glyphs

were covered with red and gray-blue alternately, creating

a checkerboard pattern. Painted decorations were also

sometimes placed in previously built panels. For exam-

ple, in the 13

-century façade of the northern arm of the

transept in Oliwa, in the 14

century painting decora-

tions were made (Fig. 7.7). On a dark gray background,

Fig. 7. Material color of the church façades in the 14

century:

1 – Sedlec (photo by K. Charvátová), 2, 3, 5 – Pelplin, 4 – Lubiąż, 6 – polychrome in Henryków (photo and elaborated by E. Łużyniecka),

7 – painting in Oliwa (photo by A. Piwek)

Il. 7. Kolorystyka elewacji kościołów w XIV w.:

1 – Sedlec (fot. K. Charvátová), 2, 3, 5 – Pelplin, 4 – Lubiąż, 6 – polichromia w Henrykowie (fot. i oprac. E. Łużyniecka),

7 – malowidło w Oliwie (fot. A. Piwek)

12 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

image of a two-part tracery, painted with a light gray

line was placed.

From the 14

century on, in Cistercian abbeys not only

paintings were sometimes introduced, as was the case in

earlier periods. It almost became a rule to highlight im-

portant parts of the monastery by placing multi-colored

decorations inside them. The ban on polychromes was

forgotten. At the end of the 13

century and in the 1

half of the 14

century, linear compositions referring to

the layouts of building materials were still painted. In the

church in Lubiąż, red lines imitating dimension stones

were placed on the white background (Figs. 8.1–8.3).

Structural elements, i.e. frames of portals, arcades, and

recesses, were distinguished by red painting with white

lines imitating the shape of bricks. The prole of arcades

was additionally decorated with an ornament, which was

outlined with a strip and lightened inside the interior in

a gray-blue to light gray color. In the most decorative way,

color of the walls of the altar arcades recesses was devel-

oped. A pseudo dado with a geometric composition which

consisted of interpenetrating white and red circles was sit-

uated on them.

Decorations of the passage openings in the abbey chap-

ter house in Sulejów also had a geometric form, however,

they have not survived until today (Figs. 8.4–8.7). They

were made of red and gray lines placed on the white back-

ground – we know their form from drawing documenta-

tion from the beginning of the 20

century [35, tabl. X].

One opening was decorated with a belt with a winding

ribbon and oral motifs. The second one has a belt with

geometric decorations and four-leaf elements. Originally,

a painted frieze with a winding plant tendril ran above the

chapter-house pews. The decoration was complemented

by a partially preserved inscription.

The discussed period is also a time of introducing more

formal freedom. Apart from linear and geometric deco-

ra tions, wavy and spiral forms were performed. In the

monastery in Mogiła, in the window glyphs of the pres-

bytery and on the arcades between the nave and aisles,

there was a wavy ornament resembling the edge of lace.

The cream-colored lace was placed in adjoining quarters

with two dierent backgrounds, i.e. red-brown and green-

gray (Fig. 9.1). A similar decorative motif was used in the

decoration of the engaged column in the southern aisle

(Fig. 9.2). Interestingly, the 14

-century lace ornament

referred only to the red and gray color of the building ma-

terial of the engaged column which was built in the 13

century. However, it did not repeat the belt layout, but was

based on a spiral form. A light-gray spiral ribbon wind-

ing around a thin shaft was also a motif in the painting

Fig. 8. Painted decor in the interior.

Monastery church in Lubiąż: 1 – transept, 2 – eastern wall, reconstruction, 3 – fragment of decoration, inventory (photo and elaborated by E. Łużyniecka).

Chapter house in Sulejów: 4 – current state of preservation (photo by E. Łużyniecka), 5–7 decorations of passage openings and walls

(acc. to [35, tabl. X])

Il. 8. Wystrój malarski we wnętrzach.

Kościół klasztorny w Lubiążu: 1 – transept, 2 – ściana wschodnia, rekonstrukcja, 3 – fragment dekoracji, inwentaryzacja (fot. i oprac. E. Łużyniecka).

Kapitularz w Sulejowie: 4 – obecny stan zachowania (fot. E. Łużyniecka), 5–7 – nieistniejące zdobienia otworów przejścia i ściany

(wg [35, tabl. X])

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries 13

of arcades between the bays of the southern aisle of the

church in Mogiła. It was accompanied by gray stripes with

dark and light shades as well as red-brown stripes. Similar

colors were used in the decoration of the vaulted ribs in

the aisle in question. The proles of ribs were painted with

gray-green and red-brown stripes which were separated by

white lines. This striped composition was enriched with

a deciduous ornament. It should be added that the described

paintings were later supplemented twice. In the 16

centu-

ry, the vaults were decorated with delicate oral ornaments

and in the 19

century, the arches of arcades were lled

with representations of plant tendrils with large owers.

Another conrmation of the violation of initial rules of

the order is the colorful decoration of the chapter house in

the Henryków Abbey [36, pp. 27–30]. During the research,

relics of three openings were discovered – a portal and two

open works. The open works were made of bricks and

had openings in the form of cascades (Figs. 9.3–9.5). On

all cascades the polychromes are preserved and have the

form of stripes. Each successive strip was separated from

the next one by means of a thin black line. In most cas-

es, the stripes were painted in one color, e.g. gray, white,

yellow or red. There were also more richly decorated sur-

faces. One of them is a red stripe with rhythmically re-

peated white rectangles which were outlined with a black

line. Elsewhere, a cascade with a linear ornament has been

preserved – a laurel wreath with a black line was painted

against the white background with a pattern on the inner

ends of leaves. Another example was a white cascade with

a repeating black ornament in the shape of a thin spool.

A more complex decoration has been preserved in the up-

per part of the southern open work. It was placed between

two thick yellow lines with black rims. Inside there was

a braided ornament drawn with a black line and addition-

ally shaded. Linear decoration also dominated the stone

portal of the chapter house, but its form did not resemble

paintings of open works. The column in the middle cascade

of the portal was distinguished by means of a yellow color.

The proles at the little column were covered with slaked

lime and had linear decorations which resembled beads.

Other proles were painted red or yellow. The sot of the

portal arch was decorated with a delicate plant tendril.

A drawing imitating a fabric hung on a stick or tape

constituted an interesting decorative element which was

introduced in the painting decor of Cistercian interiors

in the 14

century. In the Middle Ages, such materials

served as partitions or were hung near the walls on order

to warm the interior. Over time, they became a decorative

motif. This motif was found in Rudy Raciborskie and was

part of the painted decoration of the church presbytery.

Fig. 9. Decorations of the interior.

The monastery church in Mogiła:

1 – arcades and vaults,

2 – engaged column.

The chapter house in Henryków:

3, 5 – relics of open works,

4 – portal

(photo by E. Łużyniecka)

Il. 9. Polichromie wnętrz

klasztornych. Kościół w Mogile:

1 – arkady i sklepienia,

2 – kolumna przyścienna.

Relikty kapitularza w Henrykowie:

3, 5 – przeźrocza, 4 – portal

(fot. E. Łużyniecka)

14 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

Unfortunately, the decor was destroyed in the years 1947–

1950 and is known only from research and descriptions

[37, p. 24]. On this basis, we know that the painting which

imitated fabric was placed in the lower part of the presby-

tery walls. The fabric was hung on schematically sketched

tapes which were rewound through painted circles and

hooks. It was divided into gray-blue and vermillion lay-

ers, whereas the peripheral stripes were dotted with trian-

gular and circular spots of various colors, i.e. red, yellow,

and black on the blue, white, and yellow-red background.

The described image of the fabric was placed against the

background of red-brown bricks which were separated by

a thin white line of grouts. Apart from this, the window

jambs in the presbytery were decorated with a pattern im-

itating the brickwork bond which was on the plaster lay-

er. The color scheme of the whole was complemented by

a polychrome vaulted area. The white planes of the vaults

were accompanied by paintings of ribs and vaulted arches

in the form of red and white stripes which were separated

by only black or black and white and black lines. In the

nave part of the church, the white elds of vaulted arches

were additionally decorated with red rosettes and their

sots were covered with a thin layer of plaster painted

in light gray. The arches of openings were distinguished

by reinforcing the redness of bricks and surrounding them

with black and white stripes. The sots of arches were

gray-blue. In the jambs of the western portal, the proles

were colored rusty brown, whereas the rollers with little

columns were coated with a gray-blue color which blurred

dierences of the fabric.

The painting decoration, which resembled a hanging

fabric, was also part of the chapel’s decor in the eastern

wing of the monastery in Ląd, the so-called St. James the

Apostle Oratorio [38, p. 65], This decor is one of the few

complete color compositions of the Cistercian interior in

the group of monasteries in question. It is dated to around

1365 and is a perfect proof of a departure from the original

monastic rules. It is a decoration in the following colors:

yellow, brown, blue, red and black. The program of the

composition was closely connected with the founder of

the chapel, i.e. Wierzbięta of Palowice, the Greater Poland

Province Starosta. The feudal character of the decorations

is emphasized by the frieze of coats of arms around the

interior of the chapel in the lowest part of the painting.

The southern wall is occupied by a representation of

John the Baptist and opposite the gure of Abbot John

with a group of Cistercians. On the western wall there is

a scene of the Adoration of the Magi, and on the northern

wall – images of St. George and St. Martin. The eastern

wall forms a kind of altar setting with the gures of Saints

Peter and Paul, Benedict and Bernard, Bishop Wojciech

and Bishop Stanislaus. The vaults and scenes under the

wall arches were subordinated to eschatological themes

and depict The End of the World, Christ the Judge, the

Lamb of the Apocalypse, the resurrection of the saved and

the condemned, respectively (Fig. 10).

In the 14

century, apart from the previously discussed

painting decoration motifs, inscriptions also became pop-

ular. A well-preserved inscription has survived in the mon-

astery church in Paradyż (Figs. 11.1, 11.2). The text, which

was connected with the origins of Cistercians and the per-

son of St. Bernard, was situated on the wall separating the

ambit from the presbytery opposite the entrance. Dark gray

letters were painted on the white slaked lime, whereas only

the rst letter of the text was larger and distinguished in

dark red. The lines, which separated individual verses of

the text and the linear border of the entire inscription, were

painted in the identical color. Below the inscription an

Fig. 10. Monastery in Ląd,

painting decoration of St. James

the Apostle Oratory

in the eastern wing

(photo by E. Łużyniecka)

Il. 10. Dekoracja malarska

oratorium św. Jakuba Apostoła

w skrzydle wschodnim klasztoru

w Lądzie (fot. E. Łużyniecka)

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries 15

open work with small three-leaf openings was placed. The

openings were decorated with a painting which formed

a strip of red and dark gray geometric motifs. The inscrip-

tion on the wall of the church in Oliwa had a slightly dif-

ferent character (Fig. 11.3). It concerned the foundation of

the altar and was a composition of dark gray letters and red

lines placed on a white background. There were double red

lines between the verses of the text and the corners of the

inscription frame were underlined with small circles.

The presented multitude of decorative motifs and the

variety of color reected the departure from formal ascet-

icism in the decor of Cistercian abbeys. A frequent phe-

nomenon was the multi-stage creation of polychromes

and lling empty surfaces with paintings. This is how the

painting decor of the church in Koprzywnica was created

[25, pp. 197, 198]. The previously discussed decorations

from the 13

century were limited to linear drawings of

dimension stones. The drawings placed on the pillars of the

southern aisle come from the second phase, probably from

around the mid-14

century, i.e. the image of St. James the

Apostle (Fig. 12.1), the scene from Mater Misericordiae

and the death of a monk.

In the third phase of decorating the interior of the church,

dating back to the 2

half of the 14

century, architectural

polychromes of vaults (Fig. 12.2) and pilasters, which are

now mostly reconstructed, were probably created. These

include ornaments made of geometrically stylized leaves,

textile and tracery decorations as well as fragments of

representations of two gures of the abbots and the king

on the wall of the northern aisle. Phase 4, dated to the

quarter of the 14

century, is connected with a poor-

ly preserved two-part painting on the southern wall of the

presbytery, which was supplemented during conservation

and characterized by the black background color and g-

ures with elongated proportions (Fig. 12.3). It depicts the

scenes of the Last Judgment, Mater Misericordiae, and the

gure of Eve at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In phase V, which took place in the years after 1419 (?),

a painting was probably made on the eastern wall of the

presbytery. It depicted the gure of Christ with the soul of

Mary and the image of a monk of Doliwa coat of arms and

the Apocalyptic Mother of God. The gures of apostles

painted on the walls of the nave above the pillars between

the naves and the gure with a coat of arms on the north-

ern wall of the northern aisle also come from the 15

cen-

tury. Figural representations were probably made in the

southern cloister of the monastery at a similar time. We

know them from the description only because they have

not survived to this day.

In the 15

century, the colors of the discussed Cister-

cian abbeys did not change signicantly. The linear-plane

style still dominated. This was the case in Žďár Abbey

(Fig. 13). There are multicolored decorations of the in-

terior of the eastern chapel of the church. The southern

wall of the chapel is occupied by a partially destroyed

painting with the Mother of God and the Child. The ab-

bot with a miter on his head is kneeling in front of her

and a group of monks before her. This work is dated after

the year 1462, when the abbot of Žďár received pontical

rights. The color scheme of the whole was complemented

by a polychrome vaulted area. There were linearly drawn

stars on the white coatings of the vaults. They were con-

trasted with paintings of ribs and vault arches in the form

of red and white stripes, separated by red lines. The sof-

ts of the vault arches were covered with a thin layer of

the plaster with the arrangement of the dimension stones

painted with a red line. Their surfaces were in dierent

colors: yellow, blue, gray, red. The arches of the openings

are distinguished by a white and red polychrome imitating

two-colored gables, alternately placed.

Fig. 11. Inscriptions in

the interiors of monastery churches:

1, 2 – Paradyż (photo by E. Łużyniecka), 3 – Oliwa (photo by A. Piwek).

Il. 11. Inskrypcje w kościołach: 1, 2 – Paradyż (fot. E. Łużyniecka), 3 – Oliwa (fot. A. Piwek).

16 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

Fig. 13. Painting decoration of the interior of the eastern chapel of the church in Žďár (photo by K. Charvátová)

Il. 13. Dekoracja malarska wnętrza kaplicy wschodniej kościoła w Žďárze (fot. K. Charvátová)

Fig. 12. Painting decorations in the church in Koprzywnica: 1 – nave pillar, 2 – keystone, 3 – presbytery (photo by E. Łużyniecka)

Il. 12. Dekoracje malarskie w kościele w Koprzywnicy: 1 – filar nawy, 2 – zwornik, 3 – ściana prezbiterium (fot. E. Łużyniecka)

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries 17

Paintings in the Pomeranian abbey in Pelplin also date

back to the 15

century. There are only few of them since

the monastery interiors were repainted in the 19

and ear-

ly 20

centuries. In the church, an ambulatory pillar dec-

oration has survived, probably made in the early 15

cen-

tury and depicting the gure of St. Christopher. Paintings

with scenes from the Holy Bible decorate the cloisters. In

the northern cloister there is a painting with the scene of

the Crucixion and the Washing of the Feet, dated to the

quarter of the 15

century and repainted in 1885. In the

eastern cloister, relics of the representation of the Angelic

Pieta from the 2

half of the 15

century and the Scala

salutis from the 3

quarter of the 15

century have been

preserved.

Summary

While researching the colors of the selected Cistercian

buildings in the present-day Poland and the Czech Repub-

lic, 97 color combinations of varying complexity were

analyzed. This may seem a signicant number in terms

of quantity, but in fact it is only a fraction of medieval

color decorations. According to the authors of the article,

it does not exceed 2–5% of authentic color compositions.

The reason for such a situation is primarily the relict state

of preservation of the paintings, partly due to the delicate

structure and unstable components. The paintings were

easily damaged during res and wars, they were removed

during baroque transformations and during restoration

works. A positive observation made during the discussed

research is an increased awareness of the existence of the

paintings. The preservative method of conservation ap-

plied over the past 20 years has led to the discovery and

display of many new fragments.

When analyzing color, not only of Cistercian architec-

ture, many problems with determining the chronology of

the formation of color compositions appeared. Only in

a few cases are there any written sources which help to

date color and this usually refers to wall painting. It seems

relatively easiest to conduct dating of material lists of ex-

ternal façades, as they are consistent with the construction

time of the buildings. The time of the external façades

color creation can be connected with the period of erec-

tion of a given building, whereas the time of designing

the interior polychrome is virtually optional. Painting

can be performed during the construction of a building

(e.g. polychrome details) and it is also possible to paint

the interior after completion of a certain stage (e.g. after

building walls, but before installing vaults). There is also

a possibility to place paintings at the end of construction,

or even much later. Undoubtedly, however, the execution

of the polychrome was expensive and probably in special

cases only walls were painted once and completely im-

mediately after their construction. The polychrome anal-

ysis is also limited by the frequent lack of stratigraphic

and chemical studies. Without this research, technological

dierences are dicult to determine and it becomes al-

most impossible to develop reliable reconstructions. In re-

search on polychromes, it is extremely important to dene

the phases of transformation of paintings. Two methods

were most often used to create new colors – either older

decorations were completely painted over, or they were

supplemented with new elements which lled subsequent

surfaces of walls. Therefore, the currently existing color

combinations were often created in several stages and

could be connected with dierent historical periods.

Despite the poor state of preservation and many doubts

about dating, as a result of the research, three periods

were distinguished, which diered in the degree of ad-

herence to monastic rules in creating color of Cistercian

architecture in Poland and Bohemia. The rst period was

characterized by partial formal asceticism and was con-

nected with the beginning of the construction of the rst

monastic buildings at the end of the 12

century and in

the 1

half of the 13

century. At that time, the monas-

tic rules were followed in relation to large architectural

elements, e.g. walls – their color was modest and related

to the building material. However, smaller elements of

the decor were treated dierently – ignoring prohibitions,

multi-colored ooring was made and sometimes gables of

the façades were decorated. The change in the approach

to the application of religious principles can be connected

with the 2

half of the 13

century. The façades were still

dominated by the material color, which can be considered

a manifestation of the application of monastic rules. In

the interiors, however, more and more often the multicol-

ored construction skeleton was supplemented with single

paintings. The polychromes of stone architectural details

as well as geometric, oral, and gural ornaments in the

linear-plane style come from that time. They are a mani-

festation of looseness of religious rules. The third period

of enforcement of the aforementioned rules took place in

the 14

and 15

centuries. It is characterized by an in-

crease in number and a variety of colors. Façades were

sometimes decorated with polychromes. In the interiors,

selected walls were covered with gural paintings with

a predominance of horizontal layouts, although two-zone

and multi-quarter compositions were increasingly used.

There were also inscriptions and the so-called stencil or-

nament, composed of slightly vague geometric and oral

motifs. At that time, therefore, the Cistercian rule was no

longer in force with regard to color.

It should be added that the rst period of color trans-

formations in Poland and Bohemia was not connected

with the establishment of rst foundations. Until the end

of the 12

century, brick buildings of Polish and Bohe-

mian monasteries probably did not exist yet. When the

con struction of abbeys began in the area in question, over

300 Cistercian seats functioned already in Europe (mainly

in France) for almost a hundred years. In the 1

half of

the 12

century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote his letters

about them and the principles of the monastic rule were

elaborated at chapter meetings. They forbade decorating

interiors with paintings and using any other multi-colored

architectural decorations such as polychromes of structur-

al elements, ooring, and stained glass windows. Despite

the existence of recommendations, there were cases of

breaking them already in the 2

half of the 12

century.

At the time when Polish and Bohemian abbeys start-

ed to be erected, in European Cistercian monasteries there

18 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

was a certain loosening of the initial rules. The stage of

acute asceticism lasted for a short time – until the death of

St. Bernard of Clairvaux in 1153. It is commonly believed

that the later years constituted the formation of the so-called

second Cistercian order. The rules of abbey functioning at

that time were adapted to the rapidly changing socio-eco-

nomic situation. The life of Cistercians was not like that

of the rst white monks. They did not lead an extremely

ascetic lifestyle and did not make a living by working with

their own hands. Their functioning was based on valuable

land grants of founders, various types of pensions, tithes,

the work of peasants, incomes from the work of mills, etc.

Cistercian abbeys became feudal units with numerous sec-

ular personnel specialized in economic actions. There was

a growing desire to meet the expectations of founders and

a desire to stand out from other monasteries. All this was

conducive to the development of color decorations.

Due to the above-mentioned factors, the inuence of

the monastic rule on color of Cistercian buildings in the

territories of today’s Poland and the Czech Republic was

small from the very beginning. The initial asceticism did

not entirely result from monastic rules, but from the limit-

ed nances of monasteries. In the rst period of function-

ing of abbeys, the focus was on construction works. The

erection of basic parts of the seat took from several dozen

to sometimes several hundred years. Thus, decoration of

buildings was not a basic need or completely dependent on

the economic factor. The color decor was expensive and

connected with high dye-stu prices. The dyes and deco-

rative motifs were well known to Cistercians. Scriptoria

were very popular in the abbeys from the very beginning.

Hundreds of documents decorated with multi-colored

miniatures were created there. The temptation to use these

motifs in architectural decorations was great.

The authors of the article hope that the presented ex-

amples of Polish and Bohemian colors can enrich general

knowledge about Cistercian color. In most European ab-

beys, many traces of painting decorations have not sur-

vived to this day. In the country with the largest number

of abbeys, i.e. in France, the largest monasteries were

demolished during the Great French Revolution in 1789.

The remaining buildings or their ruins were kept under

maintenance from the mid-19

to the 20

century under

the inuence of the purist school created by Eugène Vio-

llet-le-Duc (1814–1875) and his students [39, p. 45]. The

purists’ works consisted in keeping the style “cleanness”

and removing all architectural layers, except for the oldest

ones. The consequence of this was the destruction of many

polychromes. Until today, no decorated Cistercian interior

has survived in France in its entirety, only small relics of

colored decorations have survived. These include the poly-

chrome on the pillar of the church chapel in Obazine [40,

p. 7], the decoration of the northern cloister bay in Cadouin

[41, p. 14], the keystone of the church gallery in Valmagne

[42, p. 117] and a relief in the Abbey d’Acey [43, p. 145].

A similar situation took place in England [10]. There,

many Cistercian abbeys were demolished in the 16

cen-

tury as a result of the split of the Roman Catholic Church

and the establishment of the Anglican Church. In the 19

century, some monastic buildings began to be secured in

the spirit of the developing romanticism, most often leav-

ing them in the form of preserved ruins [44]. They became

a decorative element of landscape parks, e.g. the abbey

in Fountains [45, pp. 38–47]. In other cases, the ruins of

abbeys were an exhibition of various technical solutions

used in Cistercian construction, e.g. Tintern [46, pp. 58,

59]. The only color element preserved in the English ruins

was the multi-colored ooring. Various compositions of

small forms, which created large quarters, have survived

in Byland Abbey [47, p. 10], as well as glazed tiles deco-

rated with braided and palmette ornaments in the presby-

tery of the church in Rievaulx [48, pp. 22, 23].

The appearance of austere stone abbeys in France and

England constituted the basis for the creation of the myth

about asceticism of Cistercian architecture and the strict

adherence to the original monastic rules with regard to

color. It is not true in abbeys in Poland and Bohemia. The

authors are convinced that further studies of the paintings

in Cistercian monasteries will conrm this thesis. Today,

the most important thing is to counteract the destruction

of the relics of color combinations and to professionally

subject them to conservation treatments.

Translated by

Bogusław Setkowicz

Jan Urbanik

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Abstract

The monastic rule versus the colors of Polish and Bohemian Cistercian architecture in the 12

and 15

centuries

The aim of the article is to show the relationship between the monastic rule and the color scheme of Cistercian buildings in the current territories

of Poland and the Czech Republic in the 12

–15

centuries. In the research, which constitutes the basis of the study, the following methods were

used: stratigraphic and architectural in situ as well as historical, analytical and comparative.

The Cistercian monastic rule recommended formal asceticism and so it was forbidden to make colorful paintings, oors, and stained glass win-

dows. As a result of the research, three periods in the color transformation of Cistercian architecture have been distinguished. The rst period (end of

the 12

century – 1

half of the 13

century) was characterized by partial compliance with the aforementioned rules. The second period, which took

place in the 2

half of the 13

century, was the beginning of a departure from formal asceticism. In the third period (14

and 15

centuries), there

was a decisive departure from the original monastic rule. At that time, the color scheme depended on the nancial condition of the order, the level of

the painting abilities and the imagination of creators. The monastic rule fell into oblivion.

Key words: architecture, color, Poland, Bohemia, Cistercians, order, rule

Streszczenie

Reguła zakonna a kolorystyka polskiej i czeskiej architektury cysterskiej w XII–XV w.

Celem artykułu jest ukazanie powiązania reguły zakonnej z kolorystyką budowli cysterskich na terenie obecnej Polski i Czech. Przedmiot opra-

cowania stanowi kolorystyka elewacji oraz wnętrz kościołów i klasztorów z XII–XV w., z których część została odkryta przez autorki artykułu, część

ujawniono podczas innych prac konserwatorskich. W badaniach, będących podstawą opracowania, zastosowano metody: stratygraczno-architekto-

niczną in situ oraz historyczno-analityczne i porównawcze.

20 Ewa Łużyniecka, Kateřina Charvátová

W regule zakonnej cystersów zalecano ascezę formalną i zabraniano wykonywania barwnych malowideł, posadzek i witraży. Pierwszy okres

(koniec XII–1. połowa XIII w.) charakteryzował się częściowym przestrzeganiem wspomnianych zasad. Drugi okres przypadający na drugą połowę

XIII w. był początkiem odchodzenia od ascezy formalnej. W trzecim okresie (XIV–XV w.) zaczęto w sposób zdecydowany odchodzić od pierwotnej

reguły zakonnej. W tym czasie elewacje klasztorów zdobiono niekiedy polichromiami, a we wnętrzach wybrane ściany pokrywano malowidłami

guralnymi o często kontrastowych zestawieniach barwnych. Wystrój kolorystyczny zależał wówczas od kondycji nansowej zakonu, poziomu

warsztatu malarskiego i wyobraźni twórców. Reguła zakonna odeszła w zapomnienie.

Słowa kluczowe: architektura, kolorystyka, Polska, Czechy, cystersi, zakon, reguła