10 Aleksander Piwek, Tomasz Jażdżewski
also its artistic decoration. The size of the works, which
entailed considerable costs, and their advisability indicate
that the new function introduced was of great importance
to the chapter. Therefore, it is very likely that the room
was converted into a chapel.
This is evidenced by some newly found information.
It mainly relates to the reconstruction of the northern
part of the room. As stated, the closing window wall was
narrowed by approx. 40 cm, leaving actually only a thin
brick partition. The wall was tted with new bricks for
a wider recess. The previously massive side walls were
cut down, removing approx. 60 cm of masonry on both
sides and narrow pilaster walls were created using new
bricks. As it was not easy to achieve a homogenous sur-
face, the unevenness between the inserted corbel arch
bricks in the northern wall and the additional ones set on
the pilasters was compensated for by covering them with
plaster of various thicknesses. Over the years, the only
evidence of such works were visible cracks. Thus, the
new recess became 400 cm wide and 155 cm deep. These
radical measures, which could have led to a partial dete-
rioration of defence, had one aim – to gain a substantial
area (155 × 400 cm) with a permanent base, supported by
a pointed stone gate frame and an adjacent brick, segmen-
tal porte cochère arch. As it was assumed, this substantial
undertaking served to make room for a brick altar set on
a permanent base. It may have stood against the wall, rein-
forcing its structure, or it may have been far enough away
from it so the window could still be used.
The rest of the room was covered with two parts of
the stellar vault. It was placed 50 cm above the new re-
cess. The ribs of the vault were set on supports. They were
placed in the corners and in the middle of the longitudi-
nal walls. Recent restoration work has revealed fragments
of the original supports and the vaulting ribs that go up
to them. These details were made of articial stone [10,
p. 11]. It consisted of lime-gypsum mass, quartz, crushed
ceramics, charcoal and wooden bres [10, p. 11].
The completely uncovered polychromes (Fig. 9) indi-
cate the sacral function of the room and the time of its
creation. It is assumed that they were made between 1400
and 1450 [10, pp. 8, 9], although this is not the only pos-
sibility
13
. Their sacral content (gures of saints) corre-
sponds with the new use of the hall. Their appearance only
on the vaulting of the northern bay has not been explained
yet. The suggested reason is the start of the war in 1409 [9,
p. 8] and its consequences. There is also another explana-
tion. When a wooden partition is placed in the middle of
the interior, it separates parts intended for users of dier-
ent status – the clergy and the castle servants.
Three arguments have recently been put forward
against the theory of a sacred function of the room [11,
p. 294]. The rst was the absence of consecration crosses
on the walls. However, their absence is not certain. Me-
dieval plaster may have survived only on those parts of
the walls which are Gothic
14
. The old plaster found at the
height of the occurrence of possible consecration crosses
was preserved only in two places: the western part of the
southern wall and the northern part of the western wall
(a fragment between the rst and the second recess from
the north may also be taken into account). However, it is
uncertain whether the plaster found there dates from the
Middle Ages. The second argument is related to the lack
of orientation
15
. The room is arranged on a north-south
axis, but it must also be taken into account that the sacral
function would have been secondary and had to allow for
13
Stawski [9, p. 8] points to the time of the rst 10 years of the
15
th
century, while Raczkowski [11, p. 292] points to the end of the 14
th
century, although he noticed the possibility of setting the site during the
reign of Bishop Jan Mönch, i.e. at the end of the 14
th
century/beginning
of the 15
th
century.
14
At the same time, this term does not mean medieval plaster. The
potential for error in his discernment is evidenced by the case of the east-
ern wall of a window recess. According to 1994 documentation [8], on
its central part, Gothic plaster with traces of painting was found. How-
ever, the research carried out in 2017 indicated that this wall contained
gothic bricks chipped or lled with material classied as modern [12].
Another nding is the presence of Gothic plaster in the centre of the
recess’s lower plane of the arch and in the recess of the western wall of
the recess, which was created in the 19
th
century, as well as part of the
corbel arch forming the recess.
15
In castles and churches, the location of chapels with respect to
the eastern direction was customary.
Fig. 9. Part of the northern bay vault
with traces of exposed polychrome (2
nd
quarter of the 15
th
century?)
(photo by A. Piwek)
Il. 9. Część sklepienia północnego przęsła
ze śladami odsłoniętej polichromii (2. ćw. XV w.?)
(fot. A. Piwek)
