St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow is a pearl of architecture among Polish churches with medieval roots. Elements of the temple’s decor, its antique polychromes and paintings of art are a record of important stages in the history of Poland. We were asked to design a jubilee publication of one of such historical events with the participation of the future Pope John Paul II: the coronation of the first copy of the painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa from the 17th century.
At the request of the Basilica, the graphic design of the book was maintained in the noble colors of the polychrome by famous XIX-century realist painter – Jan Matejko: gold, wine and natural browns. We used an elegant serif font for the text. An important part of the preparation was retouching of archival black and white photographs from 70s’ – presenting the future Pope and the hundreds of Cracovians gathered in Basilica during the coronation of the painting.
When and where: May 2018, Krakow
For whom: St. Mary’s Basilica