This large and rather interesting painting hangs prominently in Lublin’s Dominican Basilica of St Stanislaus, with rather a lot of the city squeezed into it. Known as The Fire of Lublin, it depicts the fire of 2 June 1719, which spread through the buildings below the Old Town and threatened those within the city walls. The artist is unknown, and the painting is generally dated to the second quarter of the eighteenth century. It was therefore painted after the event, rather than by someone standing about with an easel whilst everyone else fetched water. An early version of filming everything and being absolutely no help.
According to local religious tradition, the Dominican friars carried their relic of the True Cross through the streets in procession, praying for the city to be saved, and the flames were miraculously checked. Very handy. The painting shows the processions below the city walls, including one emerging from the Grodzka Gate, alongside people responding to the fire.
The writing beneath the painting helps explain what is happening, with the central inscription crediting the Holy Cross with protecting Lublin during the fire caused by lightning on 2 June 1719. Numbered captions identify buildings and describe the numbered scenes, including the musicians sounding the alarm and the Dominicans carrying the relic in procession. I like artworks which give an explanation of what they’re showing, as it’s not unheard of for me to entirely miss the main point.
I particularly like the detail of the buildings, with houses packed behind the walls and church towers rising above them. The tall tower towards the left belongs to St Michael’s Church, which no longer stands, making this a useful record of a noticeably different Lublin. Historians have used the painting to help reconstruct the city’s earlier appearance, although it was intended to tell the story of a miracle rather than provide an exact architectural survey.