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Coffin upholstery from the southern crypt of the Holy Trinity church in
Byszewo (Poland)

Poster · March 2019

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26673.84325

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Sebastian Krzysztof Nowak

Nicolaus Copernicus University
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 MA Sebastian Nowak
Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

Coffin upholstery from the southern crypt of the Holy Trinity church in Byszewo (Poland)

The church of the Holy Trinity in Byszewo (fig. 1) has revealed until now 4 grave crypts and an empty space under the
main altar, which can be the ruins of the fifth crypt, filled with rubbles (fig. 2). One of the crypts, under the southern chapel (fig.
2.2), turned out to be particularly difficult to explore. Its building is preliminarily dated from 1st half of 18th c. In the space of
Byszewo
about 20 m2 92 coffins with remains of about 115 persons: adult and children were placed. We assumed in the beginning that the
crypt was designed for burial purposes of local gentry families, the ones supporting financially the church and its redecorations.
Historical sources analyses indicate, however, that the majority of burials could belong rather to rich peasant families.
Textiles have always served different purposes, being used for making clothes, decorating houses, sometimes as expensive
gifts or bribes. No wonder that they found their proper place in modern burial rite. Except for grave garments and coffin
equipment, they also served as decorative coffin upholstery.
Fig. 1 Archaeologists registered in the southern crypt six coffins with upholstery textile fragments preserved, four of which
belonged to adult individuals, one teenager and one of a child. Silk textiles are in majority. Thin damask decorated with floral
motif made by interlacing weft thread (fig. 4) was registered on a child coffin no 92/2018. The fabric background had originally
been dyed, probably red or the like, while weft threads making patterns were left in natural silk color. Dark green Chinese silk in
1/1 weave (fig. 5) was excavated with coffin no 50/2018, while thick damask, richly ornamented with vegetal motifs (fig. 6)
comes from coffin no 83/2018. Coffin upholstery was made sewing together smaller damask pieces with silk thread (fig. 7),
adjusting textile fragments with proper ornaments. That coffin interior, as the only in the crypt was upholstered with thick linen
soaked with tar. The coffin was also additionally protected with a band of linen with tar in the place of direct contact of a lid and a
Fig. 2 chest (fig. 8), what can indicate that the coffin was prepared for long transport and long burial ceremony. A coffin of a young,
probably teenaged woman (no 43/2018) was upholstered with thin silk textile with tiny repeatable floral motif (fig. 9). The textile
can be identified as fabric known from literature as grisette.
Characteristics of coffins from
the southern crypt On two coffins of adult persons (no 61/2018 and 67/2018), fragments of very felted woolen cloth have preserved (fig. 10).
Apart from textile finds, some of the coffins had signs of upholstery nails (fig. 11). Coffin no 82/2018, except the nails had silk
6% 9%
band with geometrical ornament shaped with interlacing warp threads with silk thread with metal braiding (fig. 12). These relics
let us suppose that these coffins were also originally upholstered with fabric, which decomposed completely in grave conditions.
85%
It can result from much higher silk chemical resistance comparing to wool, which decomposed quicker in dry and acid conditions.
All coffins with upholstery textiles and nails, which were only the signs of upholstery preserved create about 15% of coffin
collection found in the southern crypt in the church of Byszewo (fig. 3). We can assume with high probability that this type of
coffins with preserved upholstery fabric
decorated coffins belonged to representatives of the wealthiest peasant or nobles families, who could afford to buy decorative
coffins with signs of upholstery fabrics
textiles and use them as ornamentation of sumptuous burial ceremony. They are presumably the oldest burials in the crypt, but
coffins without textiles upholstery Fig. 3
unfortunately the disrupted stratigraphy and lack of any information, e.g. a year of death, make it impossible to confirm our
assumptions.

Fig. 4 Fig. 5

Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8

Fig. 9 Fig.10 Fig.11 Fig.12

Bibliography:
Grupa M., Grupa D., Kozłowski T., Krajewska M., Majorek M., Nowak M., Nowak S., Przymorska-Sztuczka M., Wojciechowska A., Dudziński T. 2014, Tajemnice szczuczyńskich krypt (tom II), Grajewo–
Toruń; Grupa M., Kozłowski T., Jankauskas R., Grupa D., Krajewska M., Krakowska S., Majorek M., Mosiejczyk J., Nowak M., Nowak S., Przymorska-Sztuczka M., Wojciechowska A., 2015, Tajemnice
krypty w kaplicy św. Anny, Gniew; Grupa M., Majorek M. and Grupa D. 2014, Selected silk coffin upholstery from 17th and 18th centuries on Polish lands. Sprawozdania Archeologiczne 66, 165–182; Nowak S.,
Nowożytne tkaniny dekoracyjne ze Starego Miasta w Elblągu, Pomorania Antiqua t. 27, ed. B. Ceynowa, Gdańsk, 267 – 280.
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