Lives of Saints in Zofia Wojnarowska’s Stained Glass

Abstract

The subject of the article is the poetic series Witraże [Stained Glass] by Zofia Wojnarowska, de domo Zacharkiewicz (1881–1967), published in her debut volume Poezje [Poems] in 1913. This intriguing work consists of three lyrical monologues: “Magdalena Immortalis,” “Mahadewa,” and “Sanctus Augustinus,” which can be interpreted as a unique example of a stained-glass poem in the poetry of Young Poland and evidence of the author’s religious interests. Stained glass here has been endowed with exceptional meanings as an equivalent of the spiritual experiences of the three lyrical heroes.