Artes inter arma: декорирование римско-католической церкви в селе Пярлоя во время Второй мировой войны

ENThe Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Francis of Assisi in Perloja was built in 1928-1930 according to the project of architect Waclaw Michniewicz. The church building is single-nave with a transept, composed in a neoromantic style with neo-Gothic elements. The interior decor was created during World War II. The interior decor of the Perloja church is a remarkable piece of ecclesiastical art of the mid-20th century because of its size and artistic quality. This exquisite interior decor was created in 1943 by Jerzy Hoppen and a group of artists from Vilnius led by him: Leonard Torwirt, Anna Torwirt, Ignacy Bogdanowicz, Edward Sinkiewicz, and Leonard Januszkiewicz. Vincentas Andrulevičius was the priest at the time when the decoration of the Perloja church was still incomplete. The priest used donations of parishioners that were more generous because of the devaluation of deposits during the war as well as an opportunity to hire the painters left unemployed in Vilnius cheaper and decided to decorate the church with paintings of a high artistic level. After convincing the parishioners that the decoration of the church is more important than floors or benches, V. Andrulevičius signed an agreement with the engineer and head of Vilnius branch of the joint-stock company "Statyba" Bronius Galinis on 8 August 1943. The design of the church decor was approved which included polychrome: fresco secco, al fresco, and sgraffito. The deadline and the estimate of works were also confirmed. According to the plan, all works had to be finished by 1 December 1943. Taking into account the living conditions and poverty during the wartime, it is easy to understand that the artists needed help from local people because of a lack of materials.The painters could afford to buy paint only for few paintings. The bigger part of the decor is designed using homemade paint. Professor Jerzy Hoppen applied his knowledge of the technology used by ancient artists when producing a replacement for bought paint. In order to do this, he instructed girls to collect wild flowers, boys to peel bark off firewood and trees, and women to bring milk from a dairy farm. The paintings almost entirely cover the inner walls of the church. The sgraffito technique was used to decorate the walls, the triumphal arch, and the chorus parapet with ornaments. The religious theme of the decor is complemented by patriotic Lithuanian symbols and elements. Key words: Lithuania, World War II, Roman Catholic Church, Perloja, J. Hoppen. [From the publication]