Rekonstrukcja fresków Andrzeja Radwańskiegoo na polach sklepień południowej nawy bocznej kościoła Najświętszej Maryi Panny i św. Wojciecha w Jędrzejowie

In 1734-39, Andrzej Radwański executed a polychrome fresco on the walls and vaults of the Cistercian Abbey in Jędrzejów. It was the first of the numerous monumental polychromes by the painter. Following the fire of the church during WWI, Radwański’s frescoes were damaged. The only small fragments to have survived were on the three panels marked as 2,3, and 4 (figs. 1-3,6) on the plan. The major content motifs in the frescoes that survived are as follows: the beginnings and development of the Cistercian Order; the Cistercians in Our Lady’s care; great saints and scholars of the Cistercian Order; the cult of Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek. In 2013, during the conservation of the paintings in the Jędrzejów church, the decision was made to reconstruct the paintings on the vault in the southern aisle. The reconstruction programme was devised by the author of the present article. The inscription preserved on Vault 3 reading: [Hic] Pascor a Vulnere, Hic Lac[tor ab Ubere] (fig. 3) served as the departure point for the programme of identification of the reconstructed paintings. The quoted words were associated with St Bernard of Clairvaux and his mystic visions of Amplexus and Lactatio(fig.4). The remaining frescoes on the vaults were also dedicated to St Bernard, with the following scenes featured: St Bernard as a preacher, Doctor Mellifluus, on Vault 2 (fig.8); and St Bernard’s writing inspired by Our Lady, Doctrina,on Vault 4 (fig.6). Vault 1 shows the scene of St Bernard and his companions entering the Citeaux Monastery (fig. 10). In the elaboration of the iconography, scenes were to be reconstructed using the hagiographic series of St Bernard preserved in other Cistercian churches. So also were graphic presentations (figs. 7, 9), as well as a drawing by Andrzej Radwański (fig. 5).