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Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
Architectural and artistic solution of the

alabaster altar “The Passion of Christ” in Lviv

Lesya Y. Chen*
Department of Architecture and Restoration, Faculty of Architecture, Lviv Polytechnic National
University, Lviv, Ukraine

Abstract
Diverse in shape and size, construction material, compositional, constructive,
and plastic solutions, altars were the main architectural and artistic highlights
of church interiors. This article is devoted to the exploration of the origin history
of the alabaster altar of the Passion of Christ in Lviv, analysis of its architectural,
artistic, and compositional features, and determination of its artistic value. The relief
alabaster altar on the theme “The Passion of Christ” was crafted by Jan Zaremba, a
Lviv sculptor, in 1595, funded by Lviv patron Jan Scholz-Wolfowicz for the Chapel
of the Holy Cross of the Latin Cathedral in Lviv. At present, the altar is located in the
Orthodox Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God in Lviv. The altar is made
of local alabaster, a gypsum rock with low hardness, suitable for relief decorative
finishes. The Passion of Christ altar is constructed in the form of a triptych with a
*Corresponding author: base, tier, and top. A feature of the altar is the organic combination of bas-reliefs and
Lesya Y. Chen decorative carving in its architectonics, characteristic of the Renaissance period in
(lchen@ukr.net) Lviv. The plastic interpretation of the narrative scenes of the Passion of Christ in the
Citation: Chen LY. Architectural and iconographic composition of the Renaissance alabaster altar is analyzed. Sculptor
artistic solution of the alabaster altar Jan Zaremba was able to skillfully and confidently convey the realistic emotional
“The Passion of Christ” in Lviv.
Arts & Communication. state of the characters, and recreate a multi-layered space in the bas-relief narrative
2025;3(3):4738. compositions of the Passion of Christ. He created a harmonious, complete, highly
doi: 10.36922/ac.4738 artistic work of correct proportions, built according to the laws of the golden ratio,
Received: September 2, 2024 which satisfied the spiritual and esthetic needs of the faithful. The studied altar holds
high artistic and scientific value and belongs not only to the artistic heritage of
1st revised: November 3, 2024
Ukraine but also to the world’s cultural heritage.
2nd revised: November 18, 2024
Accepted: January 21, 2025
Keywords: Altar “Passion of Christ”; Jan Zaremba; Jan Scholz-Wolfowicz; Alabaster;
Published online: February 6, Triptych; Architectonics; Composition
2025
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms 1. Introduction
of the Creative Commons
AttributionNoncommercial License, The rich historical, architectural, and artistic heritage of Lviv constitutes the largest share
permitting all non-commercial use,
distribution, and reproduction in any of Ukraine’s cultural legacy. Numerous Lviv architectural monuments and works of
medium, provided the original work monumental art hold high architectural and artistic value. These include highly artistic
is properly cited. sculptural works: sculptures, bas-reliefs on façades or in the interiors of buildings, altars
Publisher’s Note: AccScience in churches, cathedrals, and chapels that reflect the esthetic tastes and level of cultural
Publishing remains neutral with development of society in a given historical era. Monumental sculptural compositions
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional of the main and side altars played a leading role in the decoration of church and chapel
affiliations. interiors during the Renaissance period. The main altar is set on an elevation and

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/ac.4738