Ars de mortibus surgendi. The Paschal Mystery discovered in the works of art of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

The presented book is a collection of studies dedicated to the profound content of selected works of art from Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The aim of the research underlying these texts was to uncover the distinct theme of the Paschal Mystery within the interpreted works. The criteria for selecting these pieces included strict Christocentrism, Christological pictorial narrative, the ascending and descending nature of the narrative, and the emphasis on the human nature of both Christ and the Christian. The source of the Paschal Mystery lies primarily in the accounts of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the four canonical Gospels, certain passages in the Epistle to the Hebrews, as well as the Pauline and Catholic Epistles. These texts were extensively commented upon by the Church Fathers. The studies focus on eleven works of art from various periods and locations. These include: the Anastasis and Junius Bassus sarcophagi; the mosaic cycle in the Basilica of Santa Prassede in Rome; the Bernward Doors of Hildesheim; the Alton Towers Triptych at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; the bronze doors of the Porta San Ranieri at Pisa Cathedral; the first chalice and paten from the Church of the Canons Regular in Trzemeszno; the set of full-page miniatures from the Trzebnica Psalter interleaved within the text of the Book of Psalms (Wrocław University Library, IF 440); a panel of the polyptych from the Franciscan Church in Toruń – the Quinitas; the tomb of Casimir IV Jagiellon in Wawel Cathedral; and the lost monstrance (custodia) from Racibórz. Each of these works serves as a medium for a set of images, and within their deep meanings, uncovered by the author in the presented texts, the theme of the Paschal Mystery of Christ and man is clearly visualized. It reveals itself not only in Christological narratives but also through two directions: descending towards humiliation and ascending towards glory.