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22 Waldemar Deluga 18

ICONOGRAPHY OF THE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH

In the western part of the Ukrainę, 18th century iconography was mainly shaped by Uniate trends inspired by the monks of the Basilian order. This monastic order, whose activity in Poland dates from 1617, was established to spread Catholi-cism into areas then under the influence of the Orthodox Church.

One of the first persons who can be regarded as a Uniate artist is Jowa Kondzelewicz. He joined the Basilian order in 1686, at the age of nineteen, and was active first of all in Wolhynia. His most outstanding work is the Bokhorodchanski Iconostasis. Mieczysław Gabarowicz has suggested that during the execution of this iconostasis, Kondzelewicz was assisted by Ananiasz Mazikiewicz, who joined the Basilian order in 1699.³⁸

The principal feature of this iconostasis is the adoption of a new artistic convention based on lightening the colours and the introduction of new icono-graphic pattems. A depiction of the Last Supper on the iconostasis clearly refers to a graphic composition by Jean Sadeler, an artist associated with the Prague school of Emperor Rudolf II.³⁹ Sadeler’s engraving in tum based on an oil painting by Peter de Witte and was copied by many painters active in this region, as for ex-ample by Rutkovich is his Last Supper on the iconostasis at Wolitsa Derevlanska, dated 1683.⁴⁰

The centre of Uniate activity was the Pochayiv (Poczajów) Monastery, the largest Basilian monastery in the Ukrainę. The picture of Our Lady of Pochayiv became the most revered image of Mary in the world of the Union. Graphic works depicting an image of the icon, executed by local artists, contributed to the spread of great numbers of copies of this pictures. Some of these works were by Josef Goczemski.⁴¹

The Latinisation of the Orthodox liturgy resulting from the Union of Breść carried along with it the necessity of unveiling the altar with the ciborium, and consequently of resigning from the partition in the form of an iconostasis with the holy gates.⁴² This change was not immediately accepted and iconostases were of-ten left in place even in Basilian churches. In order to allow holy mass to be held by all orders, side altars with pictures of the saints were erected in most churches.

^J8 M. Gębarowicz, op. cit. p. 272.

³⁹    F. W. H. Hollstein, op.cit., XXI, Amsterdam 1980, p. 378. Cf. T. Da Costa-Kaufmann, The School of Prague. Painting at the Court of Rudolf II, Chicago London 1988. The most inter-esting studies of the influence prints of Sadeler in Greek icon painting: I.K. PTiyonoiAoc, O ayioypatpoę ©eoScbtoę noiAaKTję Kai r| <pXa|iav5itcri Ka^Koypacpia, A9rivai 1979.

⁴⁰    V. Sventsitska, op. cit., il. 36.

⁴¹    Słownik artystów polskich i obcych w Polsce działających, Malarze, Rzeźbiarze, Graficy, II, Wrocław Warszawa 1975, p. 378.

⁴²    J. Kowalczyk, Latynizacja i okcydentalizacja architektury grekokatolickiej XVIII wieku, Biuletyn Historii Sztuki, XLII, 1989, 3-4, p. 348-349. Cf. Z. Bielamowicz, Świadectwa wzajemnych oddziaływań obrządku łacińskiego i bizantyńskiego w sztuce sakralnej na ziemiach polskich w epoce baroku, Polska Ukraina-1000 lat sąsiedztwa. Studia z dziejów chrzecijaństwa na pograniczu kulturowym i etnicznym, II, Przemyśl 1994, p. 371-378.