Time capsule found during the renovation of the Frombork cathedral towers

During the planned renovation of the cathedral towers and their facades, which is currently taking place, a time capsule was found. It is a copper tube, which contains documents from 1841 with additions from 1909, as well as documents from the last repair of the roof of the cathedral in 1987. In addition, the tube contains coins - the earliest are from 1766 but there are also cons from the nineteenth century and the youngest, from the 1980s. There is also a commemorative medal of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork - reported the pastor of the cathedral, Fr. Dr. Jacek Wojtkowski.

It is interesting that the documents were wrapped in newspaper L\'Osservatore Romano from 1987, which contains the program of the planned 3rd visit of Pope John Paul II.

Discovered documents will be subjected to preventive conservation and returned to the capsule. Information from modern times will also be added. The capsule - as before - will be placed in a ball hooked on the needle of the central signature over the nave of the church. Renovation of the towers will be completed in the autumn.

Fr. Wojtkowski explained that placing a time capsule is a custom practiced by crews that renovate historic buildings.

"The usual practice is that contractors doing renovations of important objects leave a trace in the form of a document that indicates who performed the renovation and in what historical circumstances. If the building is a cathedral, they include the name of the Pope holding the current pontificate, then the name of the current bishop of the diocese and other persons involved in the renovation. We will fill in the information about Pope Francis, the Metropolitan archbishop Wojciech Ziemba and archbishop Józef Górzyński" - explained Fr. Wojtkowski.

The renovation of the 6 towers located on the roof of the Cathedral of Frombork, funded by the Ministry of Culture, is carried out by a climbing company. Because of the height of signatures, this was the only way to get to this part of the church - said the contractor, Jerzy Nadziak.

On the roof of the cathedral there are 6 signatures, the 4 in the corners have a height of 45 meters from the ground to the spire mast, while the main one located above the nave of the church is more than 50 meters high.

Frombork cathedral, where the Canon of Warmia, astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus is buried, is called the Mother of Churches in the Archdiocese of Warmia. The Cathedral Hill is one of three Monuments of History, it also belongs to the League of Polish UNESCO Cities and Sites.

In the sphere of cultural heritage, Cathedral Hill is a unique medieval architectural site. It is a cathedral fortress, in the walls of which are internal canonies. The building represents the brick Gothic style, which is visible in the Gothic buildings in the north of Poland.

Frombork was the home of the eminent astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who spent half of his life in Warmia, 40 years; in Frombork he worked on his epochal work "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres". There he also conducted astronomical observations; the cathedral garden is believed to have been the place of these observations.

A few years ago, in the garden archaeologists looked for the famous pavimentum, the floor, on which Nicolaus Copernicus would place his astronomical instruments. However, this material monument has not been found. On the other hand, the search for the remains of astronomer in Frombork cathedral ended with a huge success. Until the archaeological search, it was not known where in the Cathedral Copernicus was buried. After finding the remains in 2005 and their identification, the remains were ceremoniously buried in the archcathedral. The burial place is marked and the sarcophagus can be seen through glass floor.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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