Kaplice czy kaplica? O zawiłych dziejach kaplic(y) św. Bartłomieja i św. Jadwigi w gdańskim kościele Najświętszej Maryi Panny i o ich znaczeniu dla badań nad średniowiecznymi elementami wystroju
Chapels or A Chapel? On the Complex History of the Chapel(s) of St. Bartholomew and St. Hedwig in St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk and their Significance for Research on Medieval Decorative Elements

Summary/Abstract: According to the findings of the research into the history of St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk, in its eastern part, behind the main altar, three liturgical centres operated in the Middle Ages: the Chapels of the Holy Sepulchre and of St. Bartholomew, which divided the wide architectural space on the axis of the temple, as well as the Chapel of St. Hedwig, located to the south of them. In the latter, a set of wall paintings and a rere- dos have survived to the present day, the aspects of which have been analysed mainly in relation to the scanty information on the history of this chapel. The example of the decoration of a chapel referred to as ‘Chapel of St. Hedwig’ shows how important, from the point of view of historical and artistic research, it is to use written sources, both those contemporary to the created works of art, and those from a later period. An in-depth analysis of various source materials related to the history of the chap- els mentioned above, especially documents related to the Chapel of St. Bartholomew, founded in 1451, has made it possible to establish that in fact there were formerly only two chapels behind the main altar: The Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre (later also called the Chapel of St. Gertrude) and – on the southern side – the Chapel of St. Bartholo- mew, which as early as at the beginning of the 16th century was commonly referred to as the Chapel of St. Hedwig. Putting this issue in order will make it easier to analyse the objects found in the Chapel of St. Bartholomew/Hedwig in a more comprehensive manner – as a group of works that are the effect of a more uniform concept, and it will enable a more precise dating of the works, which in turn may serve as a starting point for further research into the artistic environment of mid-15th century Gdańsk.

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