Saturday 31 March 2012

Day 318- The Blue of Kościół Mariacki



Have you ever seen a blue so brilliant you think that surely must be the most beautiful colour in the world?


I have, quite unexpectedly I might add, in a Polish Catheral stood slightly askew from the main market square of Krakow. The cathedral is called St Mary's Basilica or Kościół Mariacki.


This was my first sight of the church as I came through a large door into the prayer end of the hall. I remembered the shock of the overwhelming blue left me a little giddy and I quickly knelt down on the pretext of saying a prayer. It was really to steady myself. 


The blue, the blue. 

It wasn´t quite the kind of  blue you see, rather, you experience it. Right from the awe of  my first confrontation to the sense of being enveloped by it, the sensations did not cease even after I left the basilica. 


It beckoned,



calling out from pretty balconies;


and then it hovered,


never quite letting you leave its sight.


Finally. the embrace...


it was as if the sky had fallen or you had risen, to be covered in a blue blanket embroidered in the most artful colours, weaved with the softest cotton clouds.


There were streaming tourists


and a crowd of chattering children


but I heard only the music.


The music that was haunting


and angelic all at once.

This is the music the blue of this church makes.


Henceforth, I shall call it Mariacki Blue and whenever I say its name, I shall remember and experience the sensations I felt that day when I walked through this Polish Cathedral in Krakow.



I dedicate this post to all the friends here who love painted cathedrals but Ewa and I both agree that Betsy is probably the one who will really enjoy it. So here it is especially to you Bets! Enjoy!



I left Poland this afternoon and said goodbye to Ewa and her beautifully generous and incredibly hospitable parents who all came with me to the airport in a cab. Ewa and her family had made my stay in Poland a dream and  I will never forget them.  

Poland was to be the last leg of my Europe trip and in 3 days, I will be home. In the meantime, I am sitting before Eva´s computer in Barcelona and my trip is not over. Tomorrow I will be meeting 6 other miniaturist friends from Spain. I am still excited , sleepless and excited and thinking of the things I will show from Arnhem. In exactly 13 hours, they will all be here and instead of thinking what shall I wear, I am thinking what shall I show first. I still must catch some sleep so I won´t look like a hag.

Good night and good morning, wherever you are!

44 comments:

rosanna said...

WOW , my dear, this place is ...WOW !!!!!
I have ever seen such a depthof clour, truly like sinkin into it.
I am happy that everything was fine and you enjoyed Poland and even more regret that I could not come with you.
A big hug to you, Eva and family and have a lot of fun with the mini meeting.
Loveloads, Rosanna

CWPoppets said...

What an amazing church! Just beautiful!
I hope you do enjoy the rest of your trip! Oh, how I envy you!
Hugs,
Christine

Eva said...

Tha cathedral is amaaaaaaaaaaazing, love the ceiling ^_^
Your 6 mini Spanish friends ( the ones that you will meet this afternoon) are excited too, I am sure....like me ^_^
See you in few minutes having breakfast...LOL

Sans! said...

Rosanna, I am lying in bed now typing this under the blanket. Stayed up too late to finish this post :).

WOW just about describe the imterior of the Mariacki Basilica. The blue is really a very unusual one probably because it is tinged with 600 years of stories. The exterior is not as impressive but I vote the interior the most beautiful one I have seen.

My photos do not do it justice really. Even with the magic of xnview . Maybe like Fai say I should buy a better camera.

Sans! said...

Christine, this cathedral was used in the movie "Schindler's List" but I don't remember it anymore than you do. There is no substitute to seeing it in person though.

I know I will have 2 more incredibly great days here in Barcelona meeting more friends and visiting dali's birth place :).

Sans! said...

Hahaha Eva!!! You are up ! Ok I go was up , come down for breakfast and tell you how ammmmmmmaaaaaaazzzzzzing the church really was.

Good morning Barcelona!!!

Margriet said...

How beautiful!!! I'm not religious at all, but I do love visiting churches! I love the overwhelming feeling you can experience in such a beautiful building.
Dear Sans, enjoy your last days in Europe and have a safe trip home!!!

carmen said...

siempre me dejas sin respiración...! Eva me brindó estar ahí, pero vivo a más de mil km. y no me era posible...ni me sentiría a la altura , yo sólo soy un aprendiz de brujo...

Josje said...

That is a stunning church Sans! Thank you for sharing those beautiful photos.
Enjoy the last few days of your trip!

Kikka N said...

The Catheral, St Mary´s Basilica is Amazing and Stunning in All her colors..The BLUE is really Wonderful! It comes so Brilliant with the cold and red!
You have had a glorious journey!
Memories for a Lifetime!
Hugs
Kikka

Drora's minimundo said...

What a Church! What a Blue! What an awe aspiring site! You caught the spirit of it so well with your camera. Thanks for sharing.
Have a fun meeting with the wonderful friends from Barcelona.
Hugs

sylvia said...

Wow Susan, it looks so beautiful!!!
I think this holiday left you many wonderful memories!
Enjoy the rest of it

Love Sylvia

Maria Ireland said...

I love that church. I have been lucky enough to see it for myself. I love Krakow and have been 3 times lol and each time I have spend time in this wonderful Cathedral. Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures. Enjoy meeting your wonderful friends and the last few days of your fantastic holiday.
Hugs Maria

contar said...

una catedral realmente hermosa no me extraña que los sentimientos aflorasen de forma incontrolada.
un abrazo

a truly beautiful cathedral no wonder that feelings aflorasen uncontrollably.
a hug

Debbie said...

Absolutely Beautiful Church. Beautiful photographs as well Sans. Really enjoying sharing your trip. x

Papillon Bleu said...

Yes, yes, yes AND YEEES!!!! I absolutely love this blue.
You can also find it in the beautiful illustrations of Jane Ray.
I would happily share the link here with youn but, I don't want my message to go into spams. I never know how this works.

The music is very peaceful here. 2 AVE MARIA wille reading and writing this...peace, peace, and more peace...

Hope you are well my dear friend.

cockerina said...

Thanks Sans, I especially loved this post, because I love to go as a tourist in ancient churches, too. This is the most beautiful I have ever seen, thanks to you!
the deep blue of the atmosphere that you are getting, you have to go to all of us, a huge thanks!
I am happy with your nice holiday, I wish a peaceful homecoming and many other pleasant surprises, again! ;)
congratulations, I hope you're happy, and I wish you a pleasant weekend!
xxxxxx Caterina

Daydreamer said...

Oh, SANS!!!!!!
I am BREATHLESS!!!!!
My First Glimpse of your Post just Swept me AWAY!!!!!!
And Every picture after... I said in my heart... YES... YES... !! THAT is what I see... THAT is what my Pitiful Mini Attempts are Trying to Copy... Imitate... Capture... Show... Share... But it is Impossible, really on any mini scale...
But now YOU Know!!!
And Maybe my Mini attempts will remind you of what you saw... what you Felt in YOUR Heart when in the Presence of Such ASTONISHING COLOR.... that is MORE than mere color... MORE than just Gorgeous adornment ... More than the Stories told in the pictures....
The only thing I can think of is TRANSCENDENT.....
I Am SO glad you saw this Cathedral... SO Thankful that you shared it...
And Touched beyond Words that you thought of ME in it's presence!
Thank you! :):):):):)

BiWuBär said...

This cathedral and its blue are breathtaking in every way - you managed to catch some of the magic with your photos, but I really believe you've brought it down in your words: You don't see the blue but you experience it... Absolutely beautiful, thank you for this wonderful post. - I'm glad to hear you've had wonderful days in Poland (I never expected anything else though) and that you've had a safe trip back to Eva's. I wish you loads of fun during your last European days, especially during this miniature summit... ;O) I think we all would like to be there with you.

Have a safe trip home!
Hugs
Birgit

Rosamargarita said...

Maravillosas fotografías Sans!
Gracias por compartir tu viaje de sueño conmigo
Un abrazo

Anonymous said...

Seems to me I am anonymous on your comments LOL! Don't you like me any more?HAHAHA! You took beautiful photos and your camera is GREAT dear Sans! Mine are not even half as good as yours!
Glad we knew Betsy will LOVE it!!:D
Have great last night in Europe and safe trip home! Will email you soon!
Hugs and kisses
Ewa

dalesdreams said...

Oh, my goodness, what a fabulous and incredible cathedral! I love it. The richness of the colors and details.

I'm so glad you have had such a lovely time on your trip. I'm behind, story of my life, so I still have to catch up on your previous posts.

Have fun for your last few days and travel home safely! :)

Piikko said...

I'm so happy to hear that you have had lovely time on your holiday. You have seen beautiful places and met lovely friends. I've enjoyed your posts and I wait for more...
Hugs, piikko

Ascension said...

Unas preciosas tonalidades en azul.
Me han encantado todas las fotografias de tu viaje por Europa.
besitos ascension

Eliana said...

Beautiful photos!

The Old Maid said...

Something happened yesterday and all my comments were gone! So I try today too! Hope you have safe trip home!
I love this post, music and your very very special photos! No need to buy another camera! Yours as 10000 better than mine!!!:)
Hugs and kisses!
(sent you an email yesterday)

Kathi said...

What a glorious post! Wish I could visit here. I'm certain it would be an experience of a lifetime!
Thank you so much for sharing your photos! This is the most beautiful building I have ever seen!

PS My little dog Nugget is singing along with Ave Maria. So cute! :D

Dark Squirrel Victoria said...

Thank you for the breathtaking pictures. I thought of Betsy too. Ewa lives in a beautiful place, I always enjoy the pictures of her Poland. If I ever travel Poland and this cathedral will be on my list.

Hugs,
Victoria

onbeingaminimum said...

Stunning photographs. Thank you for taking the time to share.

Daydreamer said...

It IS Absolutely the MOST BEAUTIFUL color in the World!!!!!

Eva - tatalamaru said...

Unas fotos fantásticas Susan. Mi marido que es un gran amante de las catedrales , su historia, interiores, etc....las ha visto y te felicita, son increiblemente bonitas todas las imágenes.
Un beso y descansa para reponer fuerzas.

Kathy said...

WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Jollie said...

What a beautiful Cathedral Sans!! Your pictures are also amazing like always!
I am sure you had a great time also with the riends you were meeting in Spain :-)
I hope you had a safe trip home.

Hugs Jollie

Sans! said...

Hi Margriet, I was just thinking of you today. Can you believe it was just 2 weeks ago that I was in Sylvia's home opening your presents with Ro and Sylvia :).

I am still a few posts behind on my Europe trip , including the one on Holland.

By the way, I am not religious at all too. That church has an effect on all. I was told by a Hindu friend to say a prayer for him and his family in this church :).

Sans! said...

"Yo solo Soy un aprendiz de brujo", Carmen, me gusta :). Trabaja duro, Youg aprendiz, un día que será el gran maestro de un brujo :). Y entonces nos encontraremos :)

Sans! said...

Josje :). Now I put a face to your name when I reply :)

Sans! said...

Drora, I am not being humble but the pictures are passable with a photo editing programme. The lighting was bad in the church and my digital camera is 100 ears old (in digital years) . I took 100s of pictures and only a handful is salvageable.

Sans! said...

Kikka - we spoke about you being the blogger who loves frogs when we had the mini meet with the girls :). Could you hear us?

Sans! said...

Maria Ireland, is this church also the most beautiful for you? It surely is for me:)

Sans! said...

Patricia, I googled Jane Ray. I know what you mean :).

When I was in Barcelona, Eva and I spent quite a bit of time in bookshops looking at the wonderful wonderful children's books. I thought of you of course :).

Sans! said...

Betsy, I am thrilled that you love the pictures. Funny how Ewa and I thought of you almost at the same time. I didn't think I could love a church so much. :). I am so glad I recorded my experience in this church here and share it here with you.

Let me assure you your attempts are in no way pathetic or feeble. Far far from it. Seeing this church has made my admiration for your work grown even more. You have done a spectacular job. Someday, someone will sing your praises the way I am doing it for this church when your castle is done. And even then, mere words can't do it justice.

Sans! said...

Hey Birgit :). I am thinking of you because I am thinking of my next post :).

Sans! said...

Ewa dear, I emailed you about an hour ago . That email made me nostalgic for my time in Poland so I came here for a bit of that :).

I am smiling now as my thoughts go to the day at this church and how you were trying to drag me out of there . heh heh

Can you imagine, after the endless number of time I clicked, only like 10 of the pictures were good enough?

Missing you :). Please send love and kisses to papa and mama J

Daydreamer said...

Sans, Every time I come to look at this post I am Moved and Astonished all over again! (And I come Often!) Your photos are Beautiful beyond words... even if you think they only show a little of what you wanted to show...
Yes, I Know... the Church is Beautiful Beyond Words! :)

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