Cistercian architecture in Silesia in the years 1200-1330

Abstract

The author recalls the main theses of his book "Cistercian architecture in Silesia in the years 1200-1330", published in 1969, in order to prepare the ground for a critical assessment of the latest publications in this field. He is convinced that in 13th-century Silesia, as elsewhere in Europe, the Cistercians abandoned their original mission and ethos. The idea of building monasteries in the desert, where a community of anchorites would earn their living on their own, no longer appealed to anyone. According to Silesian sources, already in the settlement phase, the Cistercians preferred densely populated places and even larger administrative centers. While work in their huge manors was carried out by their own peasants and farmers from newly founded German and indigenous villages, the Cistercians themselves abandoned their original seclusion in favor of active public and political life. They were busy looking for benefactors and sponsors who could finance the construction of further monasteries and churches. Few monasteries attempted to construct their buildings themselves, although even then they accepted the help of local builders. Only in Henryków in the years 1227-1241 do we meet a Cistercian team of builders; but even in this case the construction of the abbey was commissioned not to the monastery but to the founder. It is therefore not surprising that the 13th and 14th century Cistercian architecture in Silesia does not differ much from local styles and often bears clear signs of the founder's taste. What distinguishes them from the buildings of other orders and neighboring parish churches or castles is only the feature of the "Cistercian aesthetic ethos" and the general functionality of the style. To sum up, the character of Cistercian architecture in Silesia seems to be regional rather than universal, i.e. it cannot be subsumed into stereotypical ideas and standard patterns commonly accepted by the Cistercian Order.