Orthodox frescoes founded by King Ladislaus II Jagiello (1386–1434) in the collegiate church in Wiślica have come down to us in a very poor condition. Covered by plaster as early as at the turn of the 17th century, they remained unknown until World War I, when, after a heavy bombardment, fragments of paintings reappeared from beneath white paint. A careless restoration brought about further damages, mostly on the surface of the paintings, and presently only about forty percent of the original murals is still visible in the presbytery of the church. Nevertheless, the general layout of the iconographic programme can be reconstructed based on the preserved fragments. Although the ceiling had to be rebuilt after the war, on the basis of its restorers’ testimonies it is possible to reconstruct the themes connected with Christ’s eternal glory in Heaven. Side walls were originally divided into five (or six) zones, while the semi-octagonal gothic apse into two zones. The upper parts of the side walls were covered with the images of the Church Fathers. Only the images of John Chrysostom and Basil of Caesarea survived on the S wall. Below, a row of prophets surrounded the whole presbytery. Their images are much better preserved. The figures of Isaiah, Solomon, Zechariah the Younger, Abdias (?), Micah, Amos, Elijah, Elisha, Habakkuk and Jonah are identifiable, mostly thanks to the scrolls with the texts of their prophecies. Their images were supplemented with the busts of Old Testament patriarchs shown in a clypei on the inner side of the triumphal arch; only four of them have survived (Melchizedek, Job?, Aaron and Hur).
The battle for meaning: A cross-national film reception analysis ofThe Battle Cry of Peacein Switzerland and the Netherlands during World War I