Kalwaria Zebrzydowska

About

The Counter-Reformation of the late 16th Century led to a blossoming of 'Calvaries' across Europe: recreations of the scenes of Christ's passion and transfiguration. Begun by Mikolaj Zebrzydowska, voivoda of Krakow, and continued by his son, Kalwaria is an exceptionally beautiful example of the genre, in which the natural landscape is used as the setting for symbolic representation of Christ's passion. Zebrzydowska, a catholic and Marian enthusiast, gradually turned much of his land over to this devotional project, with various hills becoming Golgotha and The Mount of Olives, each with their chapel, shrine or full-blown church. Development was continued by Zebrzydowska's descendents and others into the 19th century, and the results can be breathtaking. One doesn't have to be religious to marvel at the plethora of the richness and variety of architectural design or to delight in the beauty of Kalwaria's harmonious blend of the natural and man-made.