Prusy Królewskie i Książęce. Dwa światy sztuki luterańskiej
Royal and Ducal Prussia. Two worlds of Lutheran art

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the common roots of Protestant art in both parts of Prussia, sketching the process of taking over the material substance of the Roman Church by Catholic parishes transformed into Protestant parishes and then building new church buildings. This process took place in Royal Prussia under the control of the townspeople and in Ducal Prussia under the control of the nobility. The citizens, dominating in the part of Prussia mentioned the first of here, was also decisive in furnishing urban and domain churches, and it cared for the status quo of Lutheranism and Calvinism, especially during the decisive activities of the Counter--Reformation Polish nobility. At the same time, the townspeople and Protestant clergy had an intellectual influence on the iconography of the art in ecclesiastical and secular interiors. In the second part of Prussia, the seizure of power over church structures by the court of the Lutheranized prince Albrecht Hohenzollern and the nobility ruled out conflicts over churches with the Catholic hierarchy. At the same time, they allowed for direct control over parishes and churches, making the church interiors almost private family pantheons. The influence of the gentry limited the influence of the townspeople and the clergy on pictorial art, the message of which in the interiors of rural churches was almost limited to didactic content. In spite of the domination of catechetical content in both parts of Prussia, painting and emblematic decorations related to piety have also appeared.

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