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{{Infobox building
|image=Sp88DSC 0081.JPG
|caption=The chapel is visible on the left.
|name=Oświęcim Chapel 
|location_town=[[Krosno]]
|location_country=[[Poland]]
|architect=Vincenzo Petroni 
|client=Stanisław Oświęcim
|engineer=
|construction_start_date=May 2, 1647 
|completion_date=October 8, 1648
|date_demolished=
|cost=
|structural_system=
|style=[[Baroque architecture|Baroque]]
}}

The '''Oświęcim Chapel''' ({{langx|pl|Kaplica Oświęcimów}}), dedicated to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] and St. [[Stanislaus of Szczepanów]], is an extension to the [[Polish Gothic architecture|Gothic]] Franciscan Church in [[Krosno]] ([[:pl:Kościół i Klasztor oo. Franciszkanów w Krośnie]]), Poland.<ref name="APR" /> Founded in 1647–1648 by a prominent representative of the Oświęcim family, it is also commonly known as the "Chapel of Love" ({{langx|pl|Kaplica Miłości}}).<ref name="101wycieczek" /> Associated with the romantic legend of [[Stanisław Oświęcim]]'s love for his sister Anna, the building is one of the finest artistic achievements of its era.<ref name="Bedford" /> It represents a type of early [[Baroque in Poland|Baroque]] burial chapel built on a square plan, with a dome topped by a lantern inspired by the early [[Renaissance in Poland|Renaissance]] [[Sigismund's Chapel]].

== Chapel ==
The Oświęcim Chapel was built from May 2, 1647 til October 8, 1648.<ref name="APR" /> The walls were adorned with portraits of Stanisław Oświęcim and Anna Oświęcimówna, their father Florian Oświęcim and his two wives Barbara z Szamotów Oświęcimowa and Regina ze Śląskich Oświęcimowa, along with a portrait of Jan Oświęcim vicecapitaneus, [[Bielsko]] cupbearer and the judge of [[Sanok]].<ref name="APR" />

{{multiple image
| align = left
| image1 = Stanisław Oświęcim.JPG
| width1 = 150
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = 
| image2 = Anna Oświęcimówna.JPG
| width2 = 150
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| footer = Portraits of Stanisław and Anna in the Chapel, painted by [[Mathias Czwiczek]] (1647–1648).<ref name="Malinowski" /> Both dressed according to French fashion.
}}

The designer of the chapel was Vincenzo Petroni from Milan.<ref name="Bedford" /> The rich [[stucco]] decoration was the work of the most outstanding stucco decorator of 17th-century Poland, Giovanni Battista Falconi.<ref name="Milobedzki" /> The chapel was built on a square plan, with a dome topped by a lantern. At the entrance, there is a richly carved marble portal and a decorative grille.

The elaborate floral designs are enriched with winged putti.<ref name="Gorczyca" /> The decoration of the interior is not typically religious as it glorifies the founding family.<ref name="Gorczyca" /> The coat of arms and military insignia invoke the Oświęcims' noble traditions.

The main furnishing is the altar from 1890 (a faithful copy of a mid-17th century original) with ornaments, woodcuts and paintings dating from the chapel's foundation.<ref name="Bednarczyk" /> The central painting depicts ''St. Stanislaus resurrecting the deceased knight Piotr''<ref name="Gorczyca" /> with Stanisław and Anna in the background.<ref name="Coleman" />

The entrance to the crypt beneath the chapel is covered with large boards. The two coffins along the wall contain the remains of Stanisław's father and uncle.<ref name="Gorczyca" /> Four others were placed in small niches, the smallest coffin indicating the deceased was a child. The centre of the crypt houses the coffins of Anna and Stanisław.<ref name="Gorczyca" />

== Legend ==
The inscription on the sepulchral chapel reads (in [[Latin]]) ''... to God's eternal remembrance, dedicated to noble Anna z Kunowy Oświęcimówna, most beloved sister, from her most saddened and sorrowful brother Stanisław z Kunowy Oświęcim (...) as a sign of the eternal love that even death cannot stop, steeped in sadness and grief, also to his ancestors, successors and descendants, this chapel as a house of prayer for the living and a grave as a place of eternal rest for the dead, founded in the year 1647 from the birth of our Lord'',<ref name="Glowacki" /> gave rise to the legend of [[incest]]uous love between brother and sister, for the first time recorded in 1812. The legend gained in popularity over time, and the chapel itself became a popular tourist attraction.<ref name="Bednarczyk" /> Couples who had married in the church descended into the crypt to be blessed with the love that united Anna and Stanisław.<ref name="Gorczyca" />

[[File:Bergman Stanisław Oświęcim.jpg|thumb|right|''Stanisław Oświęcim at the Body of Anna Oświęcimówna''  by [[Stanisław Bergman]] (1888).]]

The story has many versions and many variants. According to the most popular version Stanisław, courtier of King [[Władysław IV Vasa]] after returning from his diplomatic missions, fell in love with his long lost younger sister.<ref name="Coleman" /> He went to [[Rome]] in order to obtain [[Dispensation (Catholic Church)|dispensation]] from the Pope to marry Anna.<ref name="Coleman" /> When he returned he found his sister dead. Some versions say that Anna was poisoned by his mother or by a rejected suitor, waiting for the return of her brother, or at the news that the Pope blessed their relationship<ref name="Gorczyca" /> (as marriages were forbidden to the seventh degree of kinship). Stanisław gave orders he should be buried next to her in the crypt beneath the chapel. Anna and Stanisław's coffins stand next to each other. So that he could see his beloved sister after death, he asked for a small glazed window to be added to his coffin.<ref name="Gorczyca" />

[[File:Krypta Oświęcimów.JPG|thumb|left|Coffins of Anna and Stanisław in the crypt.]]

Anna died on January 13, 1647, apparently as a result of [[tuberculosis]] or [[typhoid]].<ref name="Bednarczyk" /> The event is documented in a diary written by Stanisław Oświęcim, discovered in the 19th century.<ref name="Bednarczyk" /> The fact that in February 1647 he attempted to become a Steward of Prince Sigismund Casimir Vasa may also indicate his imminent return to earthly reality and his need to seek solace. In the records there is no evidence of his intent to marry his sister, nor is there any mention of his alleged journey to Rome to obtain papal dispensation. Stanisław was still alive 10 years after his sister's death; he fought at [[Battle of Berestechko|Berestechko]] and during the [[Deluge (history)|Deluge]], and died during the invasion of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] by Prince [[George II Rákóczi]] of [[Transylvania]] in 1657.<ref name="Bednarczyk" />

== In popular culture ==
Numerous literary, artistic and musical works were based on the legend including Stanisław Jaszowski's ''Powieści historyczne polskie (Polish historical novels)'', Anna Libera's ''Stanisław i Anna Oświęcim'', Mikołaj Boloz Antoniewicz's ''Poemat dramatyczny w 5 oddziałach, Anna Oświęcimówna'', [[Mieczysław Karłowicz]]'s symphonic poem ''Stanisław i Anna Oświęcimowie'', poems by [[Mieczysław Jastrun]] and [[Miron Białoszewski]], paintings and drawings by [[Artur Grottger]], [[Jan Matejko]] and [[Stanisław Bergman]]<ref name="Glowacki" /> and a movie by Kazimierz Konrad and Piotr Stefaniak ''Stanisław i Anna'' (1985).<ref name="filmpolski" />

==See also==
* [[Baroque in Poland]]
* [[Coffin portrait]]

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="101wycieczek">{{cite web |title=kościół Franciszkanów pw. NMP w Krośnie|url=http://www.101wycieczek.pl/atrakcje/kosciol_franciszkanow_pw_nmp_w_krosnie_5703 |work=www.101wycieczek.pl|access-date=9 February 2013 |quote=''Jest on znany za sprawą XVII-wiecznego obrazu Matki Bożej Murkowej Pani Krośnieńskiej, a przede wszystkim z powodu "Kaplicy Miłości".}}</ref>

<ref name="APR">{{cite book |title=Prace historyczno-archiwalne |year=1999 |page=7 |chapter=Vol.8–10 |publisher=Archiwum Państwowe w Rzeszowie |isbn=1-74104-479-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LEjAQAAIAAJ&q=kaplica+8+1648+krosno }}</ref>

<ref name="Bedford">{{cite book |author=Neal Bedford |title=Poland|year=2008 |page=286|publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-74104-479-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qe3UzP5I2vsC&q=chapel+krosno&pg=PA286 }}</ref>

<ref name="Bednarczyk">{{cite web |author=Arkadiusz Bednarczyk |title=W cieniu nieprawdziwej legendy |url=http://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/60949/nd/W-cieniu-nieprawdziwej-legendy |work="Niedziela" Tygodnik katolicki, Edycja przemyska 48/2011 |access-date=9 February 2013 |quote=''W głównym ołtarzu, pochodzącym obecnie z 1890 r. zachowano pierwotne elementy z XVII wieku. (...) Na fali romantyzmu i potrzeby posiadania romantycznych bohaterów na miarę Abelarda i Heloizy czy też Trystana i Izoldy kaplica krośnieńska stała się miejscem pielgrzymek zakochanych. (...) W rzeczywistości Anna zmarła 13 stycznia 1647 r., wskutek silnego przeziębienia na co znajduje się dowód w postaci pamiętnika spisanego przez Stanisława Oświęcima i odnalezionego w XIX wieku. (...) Stanisław żył jeszcze dziesięć lat po śmierci siostry, walczył pod Beresteczkiem oraz w Potopie szwedzkim i zmarł w roku najazdu na Rzeczpospolitą księcia siedmiogrodzkiego Jerzego Rakoczego w 1657 r.''}}</ref>

<ref name="Coleman">{{cite book |author=Marion Moore Coleman |title=The Polish land: a journey through Poland from the Vistula to the poet's land of the eastern border : the Polish land, its legends, historic personalities, poetry : an anthology |year=1974 |page=90 |publisher=Cherry Hill Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6A1iAAAAMAAJ&q=stanislaw+oswiecim+courtier}}</ref>

<ref name="filmpolski">{{cite web |title=Stanisław i Anna |url=http://filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php/121486 |work=filmpolski.pl |access-date=9 February 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name="Glowacki">{{cite web |author=Ks. Zbigniew Głowacki |title=Małżeństwa osób spokrewnionych na tle krośnieńskiej legendy o rodzeństwie Oświęcimów|url=http://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/29274/nd/Malzenstwa-osob-spokrewnionych-na-tle |work="Niedziela" Tygodnik katolicki, Edycja przemyska 25/2004 |access-date=9 February 2013 |quote=''... na wieczną zbożną pamiątkę, szlachetnej Annie z Kunowy Oświęcimównie, najukochańszej siostrze, wielce żałosny i stroskany brat Stanisław z Kunowy Oświęcim (...) na znak wiekuistej miłości, którą i sama śmierć nie przerwała, pogrążony w smutku i żalu; również swoim przodkom, sobie i potomnym następcom, tę kaplicę jako dom modlitwy dla żywych, grób zaś jako miejsce wiecznego spoczynku dla umarłych, od fundamentu wystawił w roku od urodzenia Pańskiego 1647 / (...) Z upływem czasu wątki tego podania splotły się w jedną z najgłośniejszych polskich legend, która stała się inspiracją dla artystów malarzy (A. Grottger, St. Bergman), poetów (M. Bołoz-Antoniewicz, M. Białoszewski, B. Ostromęcki), muzyków (M. Karłowicz).''}}</ref>

<ref name="Gorczyca">{{cite web |author=Ewa Gorczyca |title=Kaplica Oświęcimów w Krośnie. Tajemnica wielkiej miłości|url=http://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/29274/nd/Malzenstwa-osob-spokrewnionych-na-tle |work=www.niedziela.pl |access-date=9 February 2013 |quote=''Wymyślne elementy roślinne wzbogacają skrzydlate putty - aniołki. (...) Monumentalny ołtarz w centrum zajmuje obraz przedstawiający św. Stanisława wskrzeszającego Piotrowina. (...) Charakterystyczne dla dekoracji wnętrza jest to, że nie jest ono typowo religijne. Bardziej gloryfikuje ród fundatora (...) W pomieszczeniu jest kilka trumien. Dwie, wmurowane w ścianę, kryją szczątki ojca i wuja Stanisława. Cztery inne, niewielkie, umieszczono w bocznych niszach (...) Centralne miejsce w krypcie o kolebkowym sklepieniu zajmuje postument z trumnami Anny i Stanisława. Na wieku pierwszej trumny jest niewielkie okienko. Przekazy głoszą, że kazał je zostawić Stanisław Oświęcim, aby nawet po śmierci Anny móc wciąż patrzeć na jej niezwykłą urodę. (...) Podobno niegdyś pary, które brały ślub w kościele franciszkanów, schodziły do krypty, żeby wyprosić dla siebie uczucie o takiej mocy, jakie łączyło Annę i Stanisława. (...) Niektóre mówią o tym, że Anna została otruta przez matkę lub odrzuconego adoratora, zgasła z tęsknoty, czekając na powrót brata, umarła nie znajdując u bliskich i otoczenia zrozumienia dla "grzesznej" miłości lub przeciwnie - ze wzruszenia na wieść o tym, że papież pobłogosławił ich związek.''}}</ref>

<ref name="Malinowski">{{cite book |author=Jerzy Malinowski |title=Where East meets West: portrait of personages of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1576–1763 |year=1993 |page=132 |publisher=National Museum in Warsaw |isbn=83-7100-088-X }}</ref>

<ref name="Milobedzki">{{cite book |author=Adam Miłobędzki |title=The architecture of Poland: a chapter of the European heritage|year=1994|pages=57, 59|publisher=International Cultural Centre}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Oświęcim chapel in Krosno}}
* [https://nowiny24.pl/kaplica-oswiecimow-w-krosnie-tajemnica-wielkiej-milosci/ar/6158093 Kaplica Oświęcimów w Krośnie]

{{coord missing|Subcarpathian Voivodeship }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oswiecim Chapel}}
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1648]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic chapels in Poland]]
[[Category:Churches in Subcarpathian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:1648 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
[[Category:Krosno]]
[[Category:Baroque church buildings in Poland]]