VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE - NARRATIONS ON HOLY IMAGES (Widzialne i niewidzialne - narracje o swietych wizerunkach)

• Authors: Wojtowicz Maria
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

Images of saints from Kurpie: sculptures and crosses were the focus of historians' of art and anthropologists' interests, and were considered an important achievement of folk art. Nowadays, when only few examples of the old masterpieces remained, and many have been replaced with coarse sculptures made of plaster, it is hard to call it art anymore. Nevertheless it is even more interesting to describe their functioning in the religious context. Numerous catholics from Kurpie have special kind of religious sensibility, which means that they are always ready for a miracle, and used to understand some events of everyday life as an activity of the sacred. Holy images display a revelation to common people. Moreover they are a kind of revelation themselves - depicted saints are thought to be alive and active. The images are believed to show the true appearance of the saints and to disclose the mysteries of the invisible. Holy images are temporal elements of the eternal world, given to people to bring them safety and stability. The owner has to take good care of the image and he or she cannot change it - if repainted the original colors and forms have to be preserved. The images should look unchanged. Holy images express waiting for a miracle, which is a sign of God's presence, and are a glance into the eternal life.

Keywords

EN

HOLY IMAGES; PERSONAL RELIGIOSITY; SAINTS

Discipline

• ANTHROPOLOGY: ANTHROPOLOGY

• Publisher: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Etnografia Polska
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 233-247
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Wojtowicz Maria

• Maria Wójtowicz, no data

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

10PLAAAA088514