Missing Mariacki altarpiece discovered
A statue that has been missing from the world famous Veit Stoss altar in Krakow’s Mariacki church for 120 years has been discovered at another church in the south of Poland.
The statue has been at the church in Strobierna since 1891. However, art experts have this month confirmed that it is in fact part of the original altar at St Mary’s, in Krakow’s main square.
The discovery of the statue – a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Christ – is important because the altar is the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world. It was created by the sculptor Veit Stoss, who began work in 1477 and finally completed the masterpiece 12 years later.
The Veit Stoss altar was stolen by the Nazis during the second world war, when they occupied Krakow. Although the altar was returned to Poland in 1946, it did not make it back to the Mariacki until 1957.