Die "Byzantinische Frage" und die polnische Kultur: ein bibliographischer Bericht

In: Altripp, Michael (Hrsg.): Byzanz in Europa : Europas östliches Erbe ; Akten des Kolloquiums "Byzanz in Europa" vom 11. bis 15. Dezember 2007 in Greifswald. Turnhout 2011, pp. 405-421

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Translation of abstract (English)

The article outlines briefly the problem of the influence of Byzantium on Polish culture.

The existing analyses of the written sources have revealed that the links between Poland and Byzantium were but sporadic. Archeology and art history do not seem to change this picture. Although ever since the beginning of its history, Poland was a next-door neighbor of Ruthenian provinces which belonged to the sphere of the Byzantine tradition, it is difficult to speak here of any direct influence of the art of the Byzantine Empire. Only a small number of Byzantine art works have survived in the Polish art collections until the present. No doubt, it was the family ties between the Polish and the Ruthenian dukes which contributed to the import of paintings, crucifixes and jewelry (gifts, votive offerings). Archeological objects, such as e.g. coins and stone icons are relatively numerous. The engolpions which have been found in Poland can be traced back to the Kiev Ruthenia. An interesting example of an art import is a group of Ruthenian–Byzantine frescos dating back to the XV century, whose iconographic program had been adjusted to the Gothic Catholic churches. As a cultural phenomenon, the patronage of King Ladislas Jagiello and of his son Casimir, can be compared that of the Norman rulers of Sicily in the XII century, although the Polish paintings are quite provincial.

A separate place should be reserved for the Armenian art created by the settlers in Lvov, Kamieniec Podolski and Zamosc which had been influenced by the local tradition. The icon painting and the architecture associated with the Orthodox Church whose stylistic variety constitute the outcome of a confrontation with Western art, require further study. Another research postulate concerns the analysis of the influence of Byzantium on Polish literature (editing, translation, reception) as well as music.