Tagungsbeitrag

Kocka-Krenz, Hanna:

The beginnings of Poznan bishopric

The baptism of the duke Mieszko I in 966 AD has initiated the process of christianisation of the Piast's State. The first bishop of the Mieszko's domain, Jordanus, was called "episcopus Posnaniensis I" by Thietmar of Merseburg. Taking this record into consideration one should suppose that Poznan was the seat of the bishopric since 968 AD. The material manifestation of this notion is a presence of the Pre-Romanesque sacral architecture, which was built in the Poznan stronghold at Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island) during the rule of Mieszko I. Archaeological excavations revealed that during the times of Mieszko I the stronghold was a powerful centre of the Piast's State with a separate prince part, where a stone palace and chapel complex was built in the second half of the 10th century AD. The paper is focused on the above mentioned duke's chapel, and the first cathedral church dating to the end of the 10th century AD. Archaeological findings associated with the two sacral buildings are presented, including raw materials, building techniques, architectural structures, and the basics of these objects' chronology.


Hanna Kócka-Krenz has studied History of art (1964-1969) and archaeology (1965-1970) at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland. Master's degree on the basis of the work entitled: Temple rings from the Polish territory (rings with S-ends), published in "Fontes Archaeologici Posnanienses" (vol. 22:1971, 97-143). Assistantship in the Department of Archaeology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan since 1973. PhD in 1981 (The Scandinavian Goldsmithery of the 9th to 11th century, published in 1983). In 1994, the postdoctoral degree on the basis of the work entitled: The North-western-Slavonic jewellery in the early Middle Ages, Poznan 1993. In years 1996 – 2012 Adam Mickiewicz University professor, since 2012 - full professor.
Specialization and scientific interests concern two basic problems related to the European Middle Ages. The first is the question of the Baltic Sea area art’s craftsmanship, especially Scandinavian and Slavonic goldsmithery. The second issue concerns the origins of the medieval defensive building in the Greater Poland, a motte-and-bailey structures, and pre-Romanesque monumental architecture. Since 1999 –the research in Poznan-Ostrów Tumski (the discovery of the residence of the first Piast dynasty, dated back to the second half of the 10th century).