0317 Saxon Influences in the Architecture of Southern Lesser Poland in the Late Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Centuries

Abstract

Saxon influences stand out as one of the most notable phenomena in the Late Gothic architecture of Lesser Poland; however, they have been insufficiently discussed to date. Four prominent buildings, likely inspired by Saxon and Lusatian architecture, are analysed in this paper. The first structure under consideration is the cloister around the courtyard of the Collegium Maius of the Jagiellonian University of Cracow. Characterised by its diamond vaults, which are the earliest example of this type in Lesser Poland, the cloister was most probably inspired by the Albrechtsburg in Meissen; it could even have been completed by one of the Meissen masters. The second building examined is the Chapel of Saint James next to the southern tower of Saint Margaret's Church in Nowy Sącz. Its vault was likely a further development of the model from the southwestern bay of the Collegium Maius cloister. The third case study focuses on the Collegium Maius library, erected slightly later than the courtyard. It features two types of net vaults: one is the Saxon modification of the Parlerian design for the Old Town Bridge Tower in Prague, and the other is inspired by the works of Konrad Pflüger in Podelwitz and Görlitz. The last example to be analysed is the gable of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Bochnia. I suggest seeing the closest analogies in the gables of churches and secular buildings in Saxony and Lusatia as well as in the gable of the Church of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine in Żagań, Silesia.

Keywords

• gothic architecture
• late gothic
• vault
• saxony
• lesser poland
• central europe