Frescoes in castle chapel
How the beautiful frescoes of the castle chapel were painted
It is a legend that connects Lublin with Lutsk, a city in western Ukraine. The chapel at the Lublin Castle still remembers the times of the first Jagiellons, especially Władysław Jagiełło, who visited Lublin several times.
Lublin is located in the middle of the route between Vilnius and Krakow, which is why for centuries it was a convenient stop on a long and tiring road. King Władysław Jagiełło stayed in the castle, which was the royal residence at that time. He not only slept there but also held feasts and prayed in the local chapel. Except that the chapel was modest and its walls were simple and uniform – it was not majestic nor elegant. This fact was often raised by envoys from the eastern territories, who were used to admiring the colorful frescoes on the walls of the church.
And so Władysław Jagiełło decided to introduce the sacred Orthodox art to the Catholic church. That is why the envoys went to Lutsk to find a suitable painting artist. The choice fell on the master Andrei, known as the Ruthenian, who was known for his talent for creating beautiful frescoes that delight the eye and the soul. The master, encouraged by the king’s request and a high salary, came to Lublin.
Work on the paintings lasted two years, but what the king and the envoys saw after that time amazed them. These were the most beautiful frescoes in Poland and perhaps even the most beautiful in the whole world! But it doesn’t stop there. King Władysław was stunned by something else. Well, next to the biblical figures, his own image appeared in two places – on the first one he is blessed by Mary and the Child, on the second he goes to Lithuania on a white horse. The king was so delighted that he paid Andrei twice what he had promised. And we can still admire the beautiful frescoes of the Russian master in the Holy Trinity Chapel.
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