Gallery of Silesian Sacral Art

The Gallery of Silesian Sacral Art, which is part of the permanent exhibition program dedicated to the history, culture, and art of the region, combines the collections of the Silesian Museum and exhibits from the Archdiocesan Museum in Katowice, which were transferred to our institution in 2013 as a long-term deposit. The collection presents treasures of Silesian sculpture, painting, and artistic craftsmanship from the Middle Ages and early modern period. Contrary to what its name might suggest, it includes not only the documented heritage of Silesian sacral art but also cult objects found in Upper Silesia, even if not necessarily originating there.

Some of them were custom-made as furnishings for Silesian churches, mainly in workshops in Krakow, Wrocław, and Czech Prague, which testifies to the artistic connections of the region with the leading cultural centers of the time. The creation of the collection of Silesian sacral art is linked to the beginning of the Silesian Museum's activities. We owe it primarily to Tadeusz Dobrowolski, the first director and co-organizer of the institution. By entering into cooperation with the bishop's curia in Katowice, Dobrowolski gained access to explore church art resources in Upper Silesia. This allowed him to create a valuable collection of medieval and early modern art. The legal status of the acquired works varied; some were owned by the Silesian Museum, others were deposits, transferred to the museum's collections by decision of the curia from 1938.

Regardless of legal and formal issues, however, this collection formed a whole before the war. Wartime actions changed the fate of the collection. In 1941, after the newly built Silesian Museum building was destroyed by the Nazis, the collection of sacral art was dispersed. After the war, its surviving part was stored in the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, which operated as the Silesian Museum until 1950. In 1980, the core of the pre-war collection went to the newly opened Archdiocesan Museum in Katowice.

The remaining part of the works returned to the Silesian Museum in 1996. In 2015, after decades of the collection's dispersion, we were able to present it in its entirety for the first time, preparing a place for it in our newly opened headquarters. This was possible thanks to the decision of Archbishop Wiktor Skworc, Metropolitan of Katowice, who handed over the collections of the Archdiocesan Museum to us as a long-term deposit.

The Gallery of Silesian Sacral Art comprises four distinct zones, displaying over 120 objects of sculpture, painting, and artistic craftsmanship, forming two stylistic groups: late Gothic and Renaissance-Baroque, as well as artifacts dating from the late 14th to the late 18th century. The entrance to the gallery is preceded by two images of Saint Barbara, the main patroness of the Archdiocese of Katowice and miners. The exhibition has been arranged to introduce the viewer to the original functions of sacral objects, which today are treasures of ancient culture, but in past centuries served local communities.

The main axis of the exhibition thus symbolizes the nave of a temple, which is closed by an altar retable, and the adjacent zones refer to side chapels. Gothic art (from the late 14th to the early 16th century), which occupies a dominant position in the exhibition, includes preserved movable monuments – mainly painting and sculpture, which reflect various cultural influences, as well as artistic craftsmanship (liturgical vessels and vestments). The Marian theme, primarily images of the Madonna, complemented by Christological and hagiographical representations, comes to the forefront during this period. The collections of early modern art (from the late 16th to the late 18th century) are more indicative, highlighting the artistic achievements of the region. They include selected examples from various fields of art, inspired by the influence of European currents – the Reformation, Humanism, and Counter-Reformation. The monuments of this period are characterized by thematic and stylistic diversity and artistic values that reflect the multicultural landscape of the region. Important works from the Baroque era, which flourished most fully in Silesia, bringing great prosperity to art and culture, especially in Lower Silesia, where monuments of European scale were created, are of course included.

The exhibition is supplemented by multimedia presentations of selected thematic issues that cannot be directly demonstrated in museum conditions. We alternately show our guests, among other things, wall painting, the architecture of Silesian churches, and finally new conservation discoveries in Upper Silesia concerning medieval wall polychromies. A gallery constructed in this way serves to bring closer and illustrate as fully as possible the material and spiritual heritage of the region.

Virtual tour>>>

Curator: Henryka Olszewska-Jarema, Andrzej Holeczko-Kiehl