The Chair of History of the Sacred Art – a Characteristic of Research

Abstract

When speaking of the sacred art we mean such works that were created owing to the Church’s inspiration or patronage, that were designated to furnish church interiors, or – in a broader context – which were created for the use of the Catholic Church. Hence the origin, purpose and function of a work are its proper modus definiens that allows an object to be classified as a monument of sacred art. A peculiarly understood theophany through art has been going on for over twenty centuries. For a researcher monuments of sacred art are not inanimate objects but they speak about a religious dialogue going on between the artist-man and God. The artist’s work is a testimony to that conversation. This entire heritage is the subject of studies of the Chair of History of the Sacred Art at the CUL. Its origin is connected with the beginnings of the Catholic University of Lublin that was established in 1918. in the post-war period the history of the Chair is connected with the development of the History of Art Department. The Council of the Humanities Department in its resolution of 12 April 1957 called the Chair of Sacred Art into being (in 1965 its name was changed to the Chair of History of Sacred Art). The subject matter of the lectures and publications by its successive directors and lecturers was directed to making a synthesis of studies on the Polish sacred art from their beginnings to the 20th century. At present the initiative has been taken to digitalise the slides collection and other illustrative materials in order to facilitate the researchers’ access to them.