CONVENT OF THE PIARIST FATHERS IN PODOLINIEC, SPISZ. GENESIS OF ARCHITECTURE
PIOTR S. SZLEZYNGER
The old sacral complex of the Piarists in Podoliniec, in the Sącz region, consisting of a monastery, church and school, is the oldest one founded on Polish territory. The architectural complex was erected between 1642 and 1651 by Stanisław Lubomirski, voivoda of Cracow (1583-1949). The founder, one of the most prominent figures of 17th century Poland, was a connoisseur and lover of architecture. On the turbulent borderland, threatened by attacks of Tatars, the monastery complex was built as a quasi-stronghold, surrounded by embankments and walls with towers. The plans were most-probably prepared by the court-architect of the founder, Bartholomeo, an Italian, and performed by local contractors managed by the architect Pochsberger. The many-times rebuilt complex has features characteristic of the Baroque in the Austrian Empire, and the relations with Poland are demonstrated by invocation of the church, coats of arms and portraits of the Lubomirskis and Polish kings (currently in the Museum in Lubowla), the national emblem with the coats of arms of Wazas in the porch, and images of St. Stanislaw in the main altar and on the façade. The church with two towers delimiting its shape was the dominant component of the entire complex, built on a square plan. The upper storey of the façade was closed by huge sculptured volutes. The monastery design drawings are preserved in the Roman Archives of the order. They present the complex of the palazzo in modo di fortezza. The church was a prominent landmark in the landscape of the Podoliniec and a place of origin urban composition.