Description

After the aforementioned building disaster in 1442, and perhaps also after the damage caused by a strong earthquake a year later, the local patricians initiated a fundraising campaign for the construction of the great winged altarpiece of the main altar. The St Mary's altarpiece by Wit Stwosz took as long as twelve years (1477-1489) to build, although its creator Wit Stwosz was brought from Nuremberg by representatives of the local patriciate who originated from the Reich for a very specific purpose; he was paid very generously and certainly could not have been occupied with anything else at the time of the commission. The construction of the largest surviving Late Gothic cabinet retable was an extremely labour-intensive and complicated undertaking. The foundation of such a masterpiece elevated Krakow to the status of one of the most important centres of Late Gothic sculpture in Central Europe. The city's inhabitants were aware of the importance of this treasure. It became for centuries an object of pride and a major point of reference in creating an awareness of their own distinctiveness.