St. Andrew

Abstract

The sculpture depicting Saint Andrew, housed in the church porch of the temple in Paczółtowice, is an early baroque work of unknown origin and authorship. The statue was probably created in the first half of the 17th century. Lack of source information does not allow to determine whether it was associated with any of the altars in the church in Paczółtowice. It is certain that it depicts Saint Andrew the Apostle. Andrew came from a fishing family of Bethsaida, he was a brother of Saint Peter. Initially, he was a disciple of Saint John the Baptist. Later, under his influence, he became one of the first disciples of Christ. He carried out apostolic activities in Asia Minor. He died a martyr's death through crucifixion in the city of Patras located on the Peloponnese peninsula. The saint can be identified by his attribute – a cross in the shape of the letter "X" (the so-called cross of Saint Andrew). In Christian iconography, he is most often depicted as an older, mature man with a long, curly beard.