The space of the sacred and values in the life and works of Witold Cęckiewicz

Abstract

The late Professor Witold Cęckiewicz (1924–2023) was one of the leading figures in Polish architecture and urban planning after World War II. His achievements in these areas cannot be overestimated. Sacred objects played a special role in his work. Over the course of almost 50 years, he designed several churches, a cathedral, chapels, a sanctuary, the extension of a cemetery, and was also responsible for the reconstruction of existing churches. The article discusses the circumstances of their creation, the author’s motivations, values, guiding ideas and significant events from his life. It is also an attempt to analyse the evolution of design trends as exemplified by the objects of architecture designed for the above-mentioned purposes. Compared to other buildings, they show the greatest transformations of the architectural alphabet that he used: from concepts in the spirit of interwar classicism and socialist realism, to modernist tendencies, references to the features of the region, and ending with postmodernist inclinations.