Abstract:
Selected rosaries from archaeological excavations in the parish
church of St. Nicholas in Gniew
Selected rosaries excavated during researches in Gniew St. Nicholas
church are dated back to the 16th and 18th centuries. They were made of
wood, glass, seeds and metal parts. Each of them differs in details. They
were made with great care. Part of the beads was interpreted as a rosary,
because it was strung on braided silk strings, in the arrangement of small
beads separated in 10 by large ones. The lack of preserved cords at other
monuments may suggest that they were originally made of a material of
inferior durability, i.e. of hemp or linen thread. At the ends of the rosaries,
various hangers were placed, next to crosses made of turned wooden beads,
medallions or brass crosses were hung, and sometimes both items inscribed
in the strongly developed symbolism of the Catholic world, as well as
various examples of sacred art. Rosaries in the modern period were not
only an element facilitating the order in prayer, but also material evidence
indicating the Catholic confession of the possessor of this items. Apart
from medallions and crosses, they were the easiest to understand means of
communication, especially for the illiterate part of society.
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