sign in sign up
<<
Home , Sacral architecture

Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8, DOI: 10.2478/cee-2021-0001

PASTOPHORIUM IN THE OF ST. CATHERINE IN HANDLOVA IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MORPHOLOGY OF GOTHIC PASTOPHORIA OF SLOVAKIA

Zuzana GRÚ ŇOVÁ 1,*

1 Department of Engineering and Urban Planning, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Žilina, Univerzitná 8215/1, 010 26 Žilina, Slovakia. * corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract Keywords:

The project Geometric Analysis of Architectural Elements of Gothic Slovak monument documentation; Gothic stone pastophorium niche; in Handlová and its surroundings was dedicated to the documentation of stone Gothic elements of sacral . The aim Geometrical analysis;

was to make photographs and drawings for the needs of maintenance Gothic pointed arch;

and restoration of monuments and also to process geometric Tracery trefoil

analyzes of suitable stone elements. Knowledge of the geometric construction, which is the basis of the design process, can help the

correct renewal and presentation, possibly with the addition of missing

parts or correction of previous inappropriate interventions. The article is focused on one type of element - pastophorium - niche, a box for

storing sacral objects and the Eucharist hosts and its forms in the

Gothic churches of Slovakia. The various forms of Gothic

pastophorias in terms of the shape and context of the supporting wall of the and the stone decoration of the niche / box are briefly

pointed out. Geometric analysis of one of the studied pastophores - in the church of St. Katarína in Handlová - forms the conclusion of the article.

1 Project - description, goal, methodology

The project Geometric Analysis of Architectural Elements of in Handlová and its surroundings was dedicated to the documentation (drawings and photographs) of stone Gothic elements such as portals, tracery, linings, rib vaults and their attachments, sedilia, niches and pastophores, cornices and pillars. The project was implemented in several phases. During the preparation, suitable sacral buildings were selected and the necessary cooperation of parish administrators was agreed upon. This initial phase took place mainly in the months of June and July 2020, but in reality, the documents were already under preparation before the submission of an application for support in the grant program of the Slovak arts council. During the first week in August 2020, the second phase was carried out - field measurements and in situ recordings. The greatest attention was paid to several elements directly in the church of St. Catharine in Handlová - the article deals with one of the elements - a stone Gothic pastophorium with a tracery. Other buildings available for research were the churches in Rázto čno (Roman Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary) and the church in Chrenovec-Brusno. All examined buildings are registered as national cultural monuments, protected according to the legislation of the Slovak Republic. In the Central List of Monuments, the numbers 831/1 have the Roman Catholic Church of St. Katarína Alexandrijská in Handlová, 836/1 Roman Catholic Church of St. Michael in Chrenovec - Brusno and 889/1 Roman Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Rázto čno. Due to their status as a protected monument, invasive research was not carried out using semi- destructive or destructive methods. No probes or exposure to plasters or coatings were implemented. The research was carried out exclusively as a measurement and photography without any damage to parts of cultural monuments. Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8

Each of the buildings has a different architectural and historical development as well as a different volume of preserved authentic elements. The Gothic stone pastophorium is also preserved in the church in Chrenovec-Brusno, but unfortunately, in poor condition - a large part of the decor was removed by trimming. The measurement was performed in the classical way using laser rangefinders, accompanied by a large number of photographs, also capturing the details of the examined elements. Calibration aids and imaging targets were also used for photogrammetry processing. In the third phase from September 2020 to February 2021 field research data were processed to drawing documentation in CAD software and processed in several graphic editors (eg GIMP) using ortho-rectified photographs as a basis for plotting small, irregular details. The prepared documentation as well as photographs will be provided to the parish administrators in order to assist in future restorations, or in monumental research of these sacral buildings and their restoration. The article focuses on one type of Gothic stone architectural articles, namely pastophoria.

2 Pastophoria – typology

Pastophorium is described as an architectural element of Christian sacral architecture. It can be of various morphology and volume - from a relatively small niche of various shape, size and accompanied by a variety of decor (in older stages) to large free-standing structures in the interior of the temple (later) in the Western Christian tradition. It can also be a separate or wall room - especially in the sacral architecture of the Eastern Orthodox ceremony [1]. The pastophorium served as a box for storing the Sacrament of the - the Eucharist – functionally similar to the tabernacle, in the European context, but in other areas the meanings and morphology are changing [2]. The Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 required that the Eucharist, even with a cross, be kept in a "safe box, using keys" [3]. It was at the beginning also described as a treasury or residence of priests, or a space to welcome the bishop's visits. Once became the state of the ancient Roman Empire in the 4th century CE the need to hide has disappeared. The architecture of the church developed from the adaptation of residential houses to the specifically designed sacral architecture with the gradually built development of the material and spatial composition as well as typical architectural elements, including their symbolic meanings. Experts state that there is a relationship between the spread of pastophoria to another environment in connection with the introduction of the feast of the Corpus Christi in the 1920s and 1940s, while in the 13th century these niches were not always lockable. The period of the greatest flourishing of the forms of pastophoria dates back to the 14th century, with the most monumental architectural forms emerging in the High and Late Gothic [4]. In some , it is currently difficult to assign a precise function to individual niches. In some cases, there are several niches in the presbytery and sometimes the of the church, even in the north wall or behind the altar. They are of different shape, sometimes of different age and size or the height of the sill. Some niches served as a sink - to install a stone lavabo (sometimes it is preserved). Other niches were rather storage (books and other objects), respectively for placing candles lighting the temple. Sometimes, therefore, the assignment of the pastoral attribute for a given niche is rather the result of an estimate, or remains at the level of the hypothesis. Their simple form does not allow accurate stylistic-style identification, nor analysis of the relationship to the architectural development of the space. In the literature, it is said that older niches have smaller dimensions on average. Their identification is often hampered by secondary interventions or elimination of shape, decoration, accessories (such as doors). In the case of older pastophores, these, especially if they are simple, without decor or painting and there is no requirement for their functioning, remain unpresented and documented only in research (Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Rázto čno, near Handlová). If there is an older pastophorium, in subsequent periods it can be replaced / supplemented by a new one, which already corresponds to a younger morphology.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8

Fig. 1: Examples of simple pastophorias in Roman Catholic churches in Slovakia, where the contour, the geometry of the shape is its decor, or the forms are abstracted and follow the more massive Romanesque shapes. Drawing by Grú ňová, 2021.

The pastophorium as a niche in the north wall of the presbytery appears in the 12th century CE. Because it protected the Sacrament of the altar, it was protected by a metal, often decorative lattice. From simple archaic niches, morphology gradually develops in connection with architecture. The opening acquires a contour typical of Gothic architecture - simple angled arches, sometimes the shape of a donkey's back. Simple pastophores include, for example, the Church of the Purification of the Virgin Mary in Smre čany, the Church of St. Ladislav in Necpaly - see Fig. 1. Just as the openings and their linings receive more and more bold stone decoration, architectural elements also appear in the case of pastophores - blind and perforated tracery, see Fig. 2.

Fig. 2: Examples of pastophorias with a circle. Gray areas indicate perforation / hole. Drawing by Grú ňová, 2021.

The subtlety and precision of the forms, the richness of morphology influenced not only by the skill of the stonemason, but also by the available type of stone. The research within the project focused mainly on rural churches. Here, the forms of advanced Gothic are manifested in various transformations into often very abstracted, insitic forms with persistent local or archaic influences, Fig. 3.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8

Fig. 3: Pastophoria with a more insitious presentation of architecture. Drawing by Grú ňová, 2021.

The morphology is sometimes only marginally formed by representative forms of tracery, pinnacles, finials and crockets – and also geometry, which accompanies the Gothic of larger settlements. Well-known stonemasons or masters with knowledge of constructions, contemporary fashion and the latest influences often worked here.

Fig. 4: Pastophores with architecture. Drawing by Grú ňová, 2021.

The culmination of the development are sometimes monumental, richly decorated and elaborately shaped pastophores literally like a temple architecture on the wall or free-standing. In terms of space, the niche is partially or completely autonomous and forms a separate box (corpus). The most beautiful Gothic pastophores of this type in Slovakia have been preserved in the of St. Egidius in Bardejov (1464) and the of St. Elizabeth in Košice (1477) (Master Štefan of Košice), the Basilica of St. James in Levo ča (from the second half of the 14th century) and Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rožňava by Petr de Colo (1507) [5]. The rural environment is presented rather in smaller types, when the architectural element mass is only partially detached from the masonry - wall pastophores, often with a supporting stone foot - a pillar. Here it is possible to include, for example, the church of St. Nicolaus in Lú čky, the Church in Krásnohorské Podhradie, Poprad - Ve ľká or Križovany, the church in Holice, except for the pastophores shown in Fig. 4. An interesting type are pastophores with an anthropomorphic motif, the most common being a depiction with a motif of Christ - Vir Dolorum. In addition to two examples - Fig. 5, is an interesting example of an elaborate pastorphorium in Šamorín.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8

Fig. 5: Pastophores with the motif of Christ - on the left Hanušovce nad Top ľou, on the right Slovenská Ves. Drawing by Grú ňová, 2021.

Specific types are pastophores with a combined technique, where the stone element is organically complemented by a sometimes large-scale wall painting. It complements the relatively simple form with rich painted architecture, corresponding to the real architectural forms - compositions with several turrets, finials, arches decorated with crockets, etc. In Slovakia, these are common in Spiš - the pastophory of the Roman Catholic Church in Poprad - Spišská Sobota, Strážky and others [6]. The liturgical significance of pastophores disappeared after the Council of Trent in the 16th century, and their function was taken over by other elements of church furniture. It did not return until after the Second Vatican Council in the 20th century [7].

2.1 Pastophorium in Handlova

In the north wall of the presbytery in the church of St. Catherine in Handlová is a stone Gothic pastophore. It belongs to a group of pastophores with a more elaborate rendering of a decor. The layer of modern cement plaster covered the potentially preserved older layers of plaster, it has a thickness of 20-28 mm. The stone element thus found itself deeper.

Fig. 6: Presbytery - preserved part of the older, Gothic stage, the church of St. Katarína in Handlová. Photo of the north wall during the research, August 2020. Detail of the pastophor on the right. Photo Grú ňová, 2020.

No sounding was carried out, which would find out the exact size of the used stone blocks. Pastophory consists of the two parts - the lower part up to the heel of the arch of the so-called motif trifoil “nun” and stone lintel with plastic rendering. The pastophorium is slightly irregular, the surface of the stone is coarse-grained and usually not machined into fine details with a smooth surface and regular clearly, sharply defined edges. Shape is a simple shape trefoil called also “nun” (resembles the outline of a head in a hood), while also retaining both stone spikes, running into the space, which is not usual. The surface of the stone is visually without traces of polychrome. The element is slightly recessed under the face of the current plaster. Modern plaster with a very high proportion of cement covers any potentially older layers of plaster or paint. Until 2020, neither architectural-historical monument research nor restoration research was carried out in the interior of the church, which would provide more detailed information.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8

Fig. 7: Pastophorium in the church of St. Katariny, Handlova. Drawing done during the research. Grú ňová, 2020.

Fig. 8: Pastophorium in the church of St. Katariny, Handlova. Detail of profiling and demonstration of the preparation of process using a cross laser and fitting targets for photogrammetry. Grú ňová, 2020.

In terms of geometry, it is difficult to analyze the element. Its scope is unknown - no survey was (could be) carried out. Therefore, only the extent within the exposed area can be assessed. Within the analysis, the relevant dimensions and ratios were considered to be mainly the boundaries of the shapes in the area or the edge of the niche opening. As in the previous research with the analysis of the portal of the main western entrance to the and the church [8], the analysis of the portal of the Pauline church in Trebišov [9] shows that the overall dimension or height is not determined as a rigid ratio of width height. It was probably created as a result of the construction process - so it is an irrational dimension due to the use of circles in a gothic pointed arc. The centers of these circles appear to be located in a quarter of the width of the niche hole, Fig. 9.

Fig. 9: Pastophorium in the church of St. Katariny, Handlová. Geometric analysis of morphology. Grú ňová, 2020.

The three typical constructions used in Gothic elements in Slovakia and in the world were compared - based on squares, equilateral triangles and circles. It turned out that the overall contour and the layout of the inner circles forming the trefoil is close to the construction with a square mesh - marked B in Fig. 10.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8

Fig. 10: Comparison of three constructions of gothic pointed arches with trefoil. Drawing Grú ňová, 2021.

Structure A was identified in the late Gothic of the Zápo ľský family in the Spišská Kapitula [8], a very well-known and valuable example of the elaborate of Slovakia. The curved arch is very shallow and its overall height and outline are close to a semicircle. Construction B is based on the construction of a quatrefoil. The angled arc is more pronounced and the construction is clear and logical, practically without overlap, intersecting the circles used. Construction C is an elegant connection of circles on the basis of an equilateral triangle and is perhaps the most frequently mentioned construction of a gothic trefoil.

3 Conclusion

Pastophorium is an interesting phenomenon of Gothic architecture - symbolic, liturgical, artistic and at the same time as a proof of the transformation of Gothic architectural morphology into the symbolic form of a relatively small niche. Transformation of shape but also meaning from a literal building / space to a part of the interior that symbolically "contains and protects" sacred objects. In elaborate examples of the rich morphology of the pastophores of the urban Gothic cathedrals of Slovakia, the hand of the Master is visible, well acquainted with the modular composition and the procedures of constructing Gothic architecture. Country churches are more diverse in a diverse level of access. It seems that in some cases the master stonemason was local, apparently without the necessary routine. Some pastophorias reveal lingering traditions and archaic shapes, or inspiration from folk sculptures, far removed from the elaborate modular networks of high-end architecture and sculpture of the . In any case, they are certainly a valuable element, a reflection of experimentation with gravity and lightening of the elements, a search for new variations in the overall architecture of the temple. The symbolic "house" of the Eucharist thus becomes a reflection of the mastery that created the "house of God". The project of documentation of various forms of pastophoria and their geometric construction would bring valuable material for comparing analogous procedures as well as the development of architectural elements. These did not have to be preserved in another form after reconstructions in the architecture of the temple. Only in this small ornamental stonework with symbolic meaning. The analysis of more complex spatial forms will have to incorporate more sophisticated methods as well as digital documentation, which has already been used by many authors for Gothic elements [11, 12].

The project of documentation and geometric analysis of Gothic stone architectural elements was supported by The Slovak Arts Council.

References

[1] BLAŽÍ ČEK, O. - KROPÁ ČEK, J.: Slovník pojm ů z d ějin um ění / Dictionary of terms from art history. Czech, Praha, Odeon , 2013, 155 p. [2] SYROVÝ, B.: Architektura oborový slovník / Architecture subject dictionary. 2nd ed., Praha, Státní nakladatelství technické literatury, 1972, 215 p. [3] TEAM OF AUTHORS: V oplatce jsi všecek tajn ě. Eucharistie v náboženské a vizuální kultu ře Českých zemích do roku 1620. / You are all secret in the Eucharist. The Eucharist in the religious and visual culture of the Czech lands until 1620. Czech, NPÚ, Praha, 2017, 91 p. [4] TIMMERMANN, A.: Real presence. Sacrament houses and body of Christ, c. 1270 – 1600. Turnhout, 2009. [5] HOCHBERGER, E. - KÁLLAY, K. - SMUTNÁ, D.: Skvosty Slovenska / Gems of Slovakia. Praha, Ikar, 2008.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol. 17, Issue 1, 1-8

[6] POMFYOVÁ, B - BURAN, D. - HABERLAND, D. - SAMUEL, M. - BÓNA, M. - RAGA Č, R. - ŠEDIVÝ, J. - TIHÁNYOVÁ, M. - ŽAŽOVÁ, H.: Stredoveký kostol: Historické a funk čné premeny architektúry / Medieval church: Historical and functional changes of architecture. Vol. 1, Fo Art s. r. o., Ústav dejín umenia SAV, Bratislava, 2015, 583 p. [7] Web - encyclopedia of medieval churches in Slovakia. Alexandra a Štefan Podolinskí. Slovak. Online: www.apsida.sk. [8] GRÚ ŇOVÁ, Z.: Geometry of the late Gothic portal in Handlová church. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vol. 14, Iss. 1, 2018, https://doi.org/10.2478/cee-2018-0009. [9] GRÚ ŇOVÁ, Z. - BOROŠOVÁ MICHALCOVÁ, M. - VESZTRÓCZY, E.: The Late Gothic Portal in Trebišov Pauline Order Church, Architecture and Geometry. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vol. 15, Iss. 1, 2019. pp. 13-19, https://doi.org/10.2478/cee-2019-0003. [10] STRUHÁR, A: Geometrická harmónia historickej architektúry na Slovensku / Geometric harmony of historical architecture in Slovakia. Pallas, Bratislava, 1977, 103 p. [11] NIKITENKO, О. - KARSZNIA, К. – KALININ, A.: Geometry of the Tracery of the Gothic Windows. Ukrainian. Вісник Одеської державної академії будівництва та архітектури , 2018. – Вип . No 70, http://mx.ogasa.org.ua/bitstream/123456789/6533/1/Geometry%20of%20the%20tracery%20of%2 0the%20gothic%20windows.pdf. [12] MAKUTENIENE, D.: (2019). Cathedral Ceiling Interactive 3D Models—Exploration and Digitalization. ICGG 2018 - Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Geometry and Graphics, 10.1007/978-3-319-95588-9_204. .