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Arts & Communication Altar “Passion of Christ” in Lviv

the creation of this altar. The affiliation of the foundation Crucifixion of Christ in the relief are dynamically depicted
or authorship is also evidenced by the coat of arms of the bodies of robbers in twisted poses, crucified on crosses. In
Scholz-Wolfowicz family and his wife, placed in the lower the background, horsemen are shown ascending the hill of
base part of the altar. The coat of arms of Scholz-Wolfowicz Golgotha. In this relief, the sculptor skillfully conveyed the
was granted to him by Emperor Rudolf II in 1595. 17(p.20) In depth of space and realistically depicted the complex angles
that same year, Jan Scholz-Wolfowicz founded the Chapel of the crucified expressive bodies of the characters, the
of the Holy Cross, located in the northern crypt of the characteristic countenance of a nobleman bending over jars,
Gothic church. 5(p.60-77) During the reconstruction of the the expressiveness of faces, the detailed costumes of other
Latin Cathedral in 1760, 14(p.81) as directed by Bishop Wacław characters, and the refined monumental plasticity make this
Sierakowski, the altar from the Chapel of the Holy Cross relief a standalone work filled with its own emotionality and
was moved to the Church of St. Nicholas of the Trinitarian deep drama.
Order (now the Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother An analogous compositional solution is found in the
of God of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine). 5(p.75) The composition “The Founding of Carthage by Dido,” where
Passion of Christ altar became a highlight of the main altar two metal reliefs depict three horsemen in the center,
section of the cathedral. surrounded by a crowd against the backdrop of a distant

The artistic design of the altar is particularly impressive. city, by jeweler Georg Lang, now preserved in the State
The altar is vertically segmented by columns adorned with Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. 1(p.64)
geometric ornamentation and grapevine motifs. The columns
are topped with Corinthian capitals featuring winged cherubs
on the abacuses. Horizontally, the altar is divided into tiers
with cornices and bands (Figure 4). The ornamentation of
the columns and the intricate scroll-like curves on the sides
of the composition create a lavish architectural setting for the
bas-reliefs, giving the altar a picturesque character. 7(p.136) The
central part of the altar, with a concave cylinder-shaped space,
is highlighted by a complex and original main large relief
“The Road to Golgotha” (Figure 5), with side wings: on the
left – “The Crowning with Thorns” and “Nailing to the Cross”
(Figure 6), on the right – “Scourging” and “Ecce Homo”
(Figure 7). 1(p.60) According to V. Lozinski, the relief “The Road
to Golgotha” served as a backdrop for a round sculpture of
the Crucifixion, which has not survived. 2(p.135) The Crucifixion
was installed such that it was in the foreground, with a view of
Jerusalem in the background. 1(p.64) To the right and left of the Figure 6. “Scourging” and “Ecce Homo”
Source: Author’s photo, 2024

Figure 5. Central relief “Golgotha” Figure 7. “Crowning with Thorns” and “Nailing to the Cross”
Source: Author’s photo, 2024 Source: Author’s photo, 2024

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 6 doi: 10.36922/ac.4738