Sacrum/Profanum: Omnis mundi creatura

An online lecture as part of a series on medieval iconography.

The medieval world was full of mystery and magic. Great geographical discoveries had not yet been made, and information about the various corners of the earth was rudimentary. The idea of nature and its laws had to replace scientific knowledge. The Middle Ages were an age of symbols - every element of everyday life had a deep meaning, as did elements of religious worship. How was hell imagined? What faces did the medieval devil have? What does the toad symbolize? What kind of bird is Christ holding, wrapped in the arms of the Madonna?

Lecturer: Maja Wolniewska – art historian, curator, critic. Author of numerous publications and reviews, she has collaborated with Szum magazine and the quarterly Aspirations. For several years she worked with the Desa Unicum Auction House, helping to build the collection and providing investment advisory services. Since 2019, she has been associated with the Artistic Journey of Hestia Foundation, where she is primarily responsible for the exhibition schedule at the ERGO Hestia Art Pavilion and the Foundation's art branding program.