Tombstone of Mikołaj and Piotr Firlej in the Dominican Church in Lublin

The tombstone monument of Mikołaj and Piotr Firlej is located in the Firlejów Chapel (initially named after St. Dominic, from 1899 called the Holy Cross Chapel), the oldest of the 11 chapels in the Lublin Dominican Church. The chapel was erected in 1615 by Henryk Firlej (1574-1626), great-grandson of Mikołaj and grandson of Piotr, close associate of Pope Clement VIII, royal secretary of Sigismund III Vasa, later Primate of Poland. It was to be the funerary chapel of the Firlej family and at the same time a place suitable to store the relics of the Holy Cross Tree (kept in the temple from 1333 or 1420). In the basement of the chapel, the remains of the Firlejs (previously buried in the Dominican church) were placed, and on the southern wall there was a multi-story tombstone of Nicholas and Peter, consisting of two tombstones, transferred from other places of the temple. Mikołaj’s tombstone was probably erected by his son Piotr, while Piotr’s tombstone was erected by his three sons. Both sandstone slabs show images of reclining knights; the lower one perhaps represents Nicholas, the upper one – Peter.

Mikołaj and Piotr Firlej were the most outstanding representatives of the old, powerful family (and its main branch from Dąbrowica near Lublin), one of the most powerful in Małopolska in the 15th and 17th centuries. Mikołaj (died 1526), ​​castellan of Kraków, Grand Hetman of the Crown, voivode of Sandomierz and Lublin, politically gifted, took part in royal legations. He initiated the construction of the castle in Janowiec. His son Piotr (died 1553), voivode of Lublin and Ruthenia, thoroughly educated, close associate of Bona, Sigismund I the Old and Sigismund II Augustus, founded Janowiec on the Vistula and Lewartów (Lubartów). The Firlejs owned enormous estates around Lublin, on Wieprz and Tyśmienica, as well as on the Vistula. The main branch of the family had its main seat in Dąbrowica, and owned castles in Kock, Czemierniki and Janowiec, as well as in Bochotnica.

The Lublin monument of the Firlejs, associated with the Krakow workshop of Jan Maria Padovano (active in Poland since 1532), belongs to the group of Polish renaissance multi-storey tombstones. The best known examples are the monuments of Sigismund I the Old (constructed in 15291531) and Sigismund II Augustus (in 1574-1575) located in the Sigismund Chapel of the Wawel Cathedral.

Renata Bartnik