Side altar

Abstract

The altar was built in 1772 for the newly erected St. Valentine's church (1761) in Krempachy. In the main area of the altar, there is a painting of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception from the second half of the 18th century. According to the pre-war inventory and "The Catalogue of the Monuments of Art in Poland" from 1953, a painting of Bl. Kinga from 1772 could also be found in the altar. However, in the 70s of the 20th century the painting went missing in unexplained circumstances. According to one of the researchers, it was moved to the parish church of St. Martin in Krempachy. Research on furnishings of the St. Valentine's church in Krempany carried out so far, due to lack of archival records on the constructors, does not even try to determine a circle of potential authors of the reredoses. The altar is adorned with a rocaille ornament, characteristic of the art of the third quarter of the 19th century. It shows the richness of forms of the Rococo style manifested in the splendour of ornament and gilded texture. This splendour is characteristic of the Spiš art, in which the sculptural and ornamental decoration dominates over the painting decoration.