Wysoka: church of Our Lady of the Rosary

Date of construction: 1727

250 years ago an excellent sculpture workshop of Ephraim Gerlach found its way to the church in Wysoka. In accordance with the artistic trends of the time, he introduced extremely rich decorations to the building. There were almost 50 figures of patron saints and angles among them.

Richly carved confessionals come from an other workshop and age. Where does the name stem from and what does it mean?

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Wooden monuments
Wysoka: church of Our Lady of the Rosary

The furnishing of the church was made by the workshop of Ephraim Gerlach from Chełmno. It operated around 1741-1773. Now almost 120 objects from 28 churches have been identified to come form the workshop. The extremely prolific artist for sure had “the divine spark” in him, which his works can attest to.

The furnishings of the church stands out by the high-quality execution, the richness of forms, sophisticated poses of the statues and clear expression. Grandeur, illusion, theatralisation and multidimensionality of depiction transfer the person who visits the church to the Kingdom of Heaven. The rood beam is especially noteworthy. Its Polish name belka tęczowa comes from the symbolic meaning of rainbow which connects heaven and earth. It is below the vault where the nave joins the chancery. A crucified Christ is put on it. The rood beam and the Crucifix symbolise Christian truth which states that through Christ’s Passion, salvation can be achieved.

The shaped rood beam with floral festoon curtains attached on its sides. The crucifix is on its base. Christ’s body is slim, bent in an expressive way. In the moment of symbolic death He is accompanied by winged angels, placed on the rood beam.

WYSOKA kościół pw. Najświętszej Marii Panny Różańcowej

Confession and hope for the remission of sins are an important part of the faithful’s lives. As a result, an essential element of church is confessional (Latin: confessio – “I confess”), made for a private confession. The person who confesses their sins is called a penitent (Latin: paenitens – “one who atones”).

In the church in Wysoka, the confessional made of dark wood has a very ornamental form. In its upper part it is decorated with the cartoushe with Grzymała coat of arms (of the Smogulecki family) and ornamental scrolls. Every confessional is a silent witness of confessions which a man makes before God, acknowledgment of guilt, entrusting weaknesses in sin and expectation for forgiveness.

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Wysoka: church of Our Lady of the Rosary

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